made an emotional tribute to commemorate his late former bandmate, .
The beloved artist sent fans into mourning last month when he tragically fell from the third-floor balcony of his hotel suite in Argentina at the young age of 31.
Following a harrowing period for his family in South America, Liam’s body will be laid to rest today in the Home Counties.
In a profound act of sadness and solidarity, Zayn has scrapped his imminent tour dates to attend the farewell of the man he credits with having “supported me through some of the most difficult times in my life”.
Zayn rearranged his UK tour, originally scheduled to start this week, to be present at Liam’s memorial service, where fellow One Direction members Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, and Niall Horan will also gather.
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One Direction will attend Liam Payne’s funeral. (Image: Getty)
Last week, the ‘Dusk Till Dawn’ singer delayed two of his Edinburgh concerts due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
He informed his followers that his November 20 performance will now take place on December 8, and the November 21 gig, part of his ‘Stairway To The Sky’ tour, has been moved to December 9.
The performer of A Whole New World had already deferred the American segment of his tour after the heartbreaking loss of his friend and bandmate.
Liam and Zayn found extraordinary success with their joint venture in One Direction, created on the X Factor in 2010 alongside Harry, Niall, and Louis.
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 19: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK TABLOID NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME. MANDATORY CREDIT PHOTO BY DAVE M. BENETT/WIREIMAGE REQUIRED) Zayn Malik (L) and Liam Payne of One Direction attend a photocall to launch their new film ‘One Direction: This Is Us 3D’ at Big Sky Studios on August 19, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Dave M. Benett/WireImage) (Image: WireImage)
Paying homage to the father-of-one after his heartbreaking passing, Zayn confessed he “never got to thank” the late star for his support during some of the “most difficult” times in his life.
In an emotional post, he penned: “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.
“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.
“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. 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 l’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye.”