Zayn Malik pays tribute to Liam Payne during concert in Leeds: ‘Love you bro’

Zayn Malik paid tribute to his late One Direction bandmate Liam Payne during opening night of his Stairway to the Sky Tour in Leeds, England on Saturday.

In a photo posted by a fan, a projection that read, “Liam Payne 1993-2024 Love you bro” could be seen displayed across the screen on stage. He also added a red heart to the tribute.

Malik, 31, postponed the US leg of his tour in October following the “heartbreaking loss” of Payne.

Zayn Malik paid tribute to Liam Payne at the opening concert of his Stairway to the Sky Tour in Leeds, England on Saturday night, as seen in the above photo. BACKGRID “Liam Payne 1993-2024 Love you bro,” was projected on the screen at Malik’s show. FilmMagic

Earlier this month, he pushed his Edinburgh, Scotland concerts to December due to “unforeseen circumstances,” which made Saturday’s concert in Leeds the debut of his tour.

The reasoning behind why the “Pillowtalk” singer delayed two European dates remains unclear, though he notably attended Payne’s funeral Wednesday in England’s Home Counties.

His Edinburgh concerts were originally scheduled for the day of Payne’s funeral and the day after.

Malik reunited with former bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson for the first time in nearly nine years to pay his respects to Payne on Wednesday.

Malik postponed his US tour dates and two of his European shows following Payne’s death. WireImage Malik attended his late One Direction bandmate’s funeral on Wednesday just days before his first show. WireImage

He was photographed interacting with Tomlinson, 32, before they entered the church.

Malik paid tribute to the “Strip That Down” hitmaker just one day after he died with a moving post on Instagram.

In his lengthy note, which was accompanied by a photo of the pair sleeping as teens, he shared his regret that he never thanked him for being by his side “through some of the most difficult times in [his] life.”

Malik posted a touching tribute just a day after Payne died at age 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Argentina. Zayn Malik/Instagram In his social media post, Malik said Payne supported him through some of the hardest times of his life. PA Images/INSTARimages

He also said he “respected” Payne for being “sensible” and “headstrong.”

Payne died at age 31 after he fell from his hotel room on the third floor at CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Oct. 16.

He died of multiple traumas that led to internal and external bleeding, the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office told Page Six after his death.

Multiple drugs were found in Payne’s system after he died. WireImage His death is still being investigated and three people have been charged in connection. via REUTERS

Several drugs were reportedly found in his system at the time of his death and many eyewitnesses reported he was “acting erratically” in his final hours.

Disturbing images of the late pop star being manhandled and carried to his hotel room were recently published by the Daily Mail, hinting at the state of his health shortly before he fell from the balcony.

Payne’s untimely death is not being investigated as a suicide and three people have been charged in connection.