Zayn Malik Postpones Tour After Liam Payne’s “Heartbreaking Loss”
Zayn Malik is taking time to grieve following this week’s death of his friend and fellow One Direction alum Liam Payne.
On Saturday, the Room Under the Stairs artist announced that he’s postponing his Stairway to the Sky Tour for his fourth solo album after Payne died at age 31 on Wednesday.
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“Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I’ve made the decision to postpone the US leg of the Stairway to the Sky Tour,” wrote Zayn on his Instagram Story. “The dates are being rescheduled for January and I’ll post them as soon as it’s all set in the next few days. Your tickets will remain valid for the new dates. Love you all and thank you for understanding.”
Zayn previously paid tribute to his former bandmate in a heartfelt statement after Payne fell from the third-floor balcony of his Buenos Aires, Argentina hotel room on Wednesday.
“Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives,” he started. “I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life. When I was missing home as a 17 yr old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved.”
He continued, “Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no f—s about telling people when they were wrong. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it. When it came to the music Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense. I knew nothing in comparison, I was a novice child with no experience and you were already a professional. I was always happy to know, no matter what happened on stage we could always rely on you to know which way to steer the ship next.
“I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’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 dearly. I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever, there is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated. I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are. Love you bro,” Zayn added.
According to a preliminary autopsy report, Payne’s cause of death was ruled “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage.”
La Nación reported that Hotel Casa Sur staff called police before the incident to report “an aggressive man that could’ve been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
Born Aug. 29, 1993 in Wolverhampton, England, Payne competed on The X Factor in 2010, when he formed One Direction with Zayn, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson. The group released five albums and became a global sensation, winning seven Brit Awards and selling more than 70 million albums worldwide.
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