Zayn Malik pays on stage tribute to Liam Payne in his hometown

Zayn Malik has paid tribute on stage to Liam Payne in his former One Direction bandmateā€™s hometown of Wolverhampton, saying he ā€œhopesā€ the late star sees his gig.

The singer, 31, had kicked off his Stairway To The Sky tour in Leedsā€™s O2 Academy, with an on-stage blue screen message which read: ā€œLiam Payne 1993-2024. Love you broā€ with a pink heart.

However, he has not appeared to directly speak about Payne, who died aged 31 in Argentina last month, during the tour.

Liam Payne death
Liam Payne died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, according to local officials (Ian West/PA)

According to social media videos, Malik told the University of Wolverhampton venue The Halls: ā€œIā€™ve been doing something, at the end of the show, every night, and itā€™s been dedicated to my brother Liam Payne. Rest in peace.

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ā€œI hope youā€™re seeing this, weā€™re in your hometown tonight, Wolverhampton, this is for you, Liam.ā€

Malik rescheduled his tourā€™s original opening dates in Edinburgh due to Payneā€™s funeral, which was also attended by his fellow One Direction stars Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan.

He left One Direction in 2015 before the group went on indefinite hiatus in 2016, with the members all going on to pursue their own solo careers.

Following the death of Payne, Malik said he ā€œnever got to thankā€ his fellow bandmate for supporting him through some of the ā€œmost difficultā€ times in his life.

ā€œI lost a brother when you left us and canā€™t explain to you what Iā€™d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearlyā€, he added in a statement shared to Instagram.

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ā€œI will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever.

ā€œThere is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated.

ā€œI hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are. Love you, bro.ā€

Payne previously postponed the US leg of his Stairway To The Sky tour over the ā€œheartbreaking lossā€ of Payne.

An investigation has been launched into Payneā€™s death by Argentinian prosecutors and three people have been charged in connection with the incident.

Payne died on October 16 of multiple traumas and ā€œinternal and external haemorrhageā€ after falling from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, a post-mortem examination report said.

Malik will next perform at Manchester on Saturday, before heading to Leeds and Newcastle.