"There were so many more conversations for us to have"— Zayn Malik mourns late bandmate Liam Payne in IG tribute
As the world reels from the death of Liam Payne, his former One Direction bandmate, Zayn Malik, penned an emotional tribute to his late friend. On Thursday, October 17, 2024, the singer took to his Instagram to write:
"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."
The post included a photo of the pair sleeping in the car. He continued:
"I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life."
On Wednesday, Payne died after sustaining injuries after falling from the third floor of his hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The singer was in Argentina with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, to attend another 1D bandmate Niall Horan's concert. Cassidy reportedly left Argentina two days before Payne's death.
"There is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now"— Zayn Malik about Liam Payne's death
Liam Payne, along with Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson, formed One Direction in 2010. It was one of the most successful boy groups of all time before Malik's exit in 2015. A year later, they went on an indefinite hiatus to focus on their solo careers.
Malik in his post recalled the time he was seventeen and missing home, but Payne comforted him with his "positive outlook and reassuring smile," letting Malik know he was loved. Addressing his late friend, the singer wrote:
"Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no f**ks about telling people when they were wrong. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always respected you for it."
Zayn Malik continued to praise Liam Payne for his music, stating the latter was the "most qualified in every sense." Malik remarked that he left like a "novice child" as compared to Payne's professionalism. He explained that no matter what happened on stage, the band could always rely on the Teardrop singer to "steer the ship."
Mourning his loss, Malik continued:
"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 youin my heart forever, there is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated."
The Room Under the Stairs artist signed off the post stating, "Love you bro."
Zayn Malik and Liam Payne have had a complicated relationship over the years, but both have maintained that they have each other's backs.
Back in May 2022, while appearing on Logan Paul's Impaulsive podcast, Liam Payne spoke of an argument with a fellow band member, and that they threw him (Liam) up against a wall. While Payne did not elaborate further, earlier this month his former fiancée Maya Henry took to her TikTok to allege that the person was Zayn.
During his appearance on Logan Paul's podcast, Payne asserted:
"There's many reasons why I dislike Zayn, and there are many reasons why I’ll always always be on his side."
He also spoke about Malik's upbringing and suggested that he did not want to be in the band. Liam Payne garnered criticism for his comments and later took to his X (June 2022) to clarify:
"Guys - I wouldn’t normally comment on this stuff but when its your family it’s hard to let it slide. They mentioned a specific incident involving Zayn which I responded to - but listening back maybe I didn’t articulate myself as well as I could have. I was saying that there will always be things we disagree on but that I will always, always be on his side. That’s family. Zayn is my brother and I will stand by him forever."
In 2023, when Zayn shared an update about new music on Instagram, Liam Payne commented, "This sounds big already." Malik later replied, "Appreciate it bro, thanks for the love."
Liam Payne is survived by his son, Bear, parents, Karen and Geoff, and sisters, Nicola and Ruth.
