Liam Payne’s former One Direction member Zayn Malik reacted after he suddenly died Wednesday. Payne died after falling from the third floor of a hotel
A “beyond devastated” Zayn Malik has paid tribute to his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.
Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the singer penned an emotional message to Payne, who died on Oct. 16 at the age of 31.
“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,” Malik wrote alongside a throwback photo of the pair sleeping in a car. “I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life.”
The “Dusk Till Dawn” crooner added that his bandmate always had a “positive outlook” and let him know he was “loved” during difficult times.
Malik then addressed the pair’s tumultuous relationship, which included Malik throwing the late musician up against a wall during a heated argument.
“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,” Malik wrote. “Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, [laughing emoji] I always secretly respected you for it.”
Malik called Payne his “brother” and said, “[I] 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.”
Payne and Malik were members of the world famous boy band, aka 1D, alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.
Tomlinson also posted a tribute to Payne on Thursday, writing, “I wish I got chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you. Payno, my boy, one of my best friends, my brother, I love you mate. Sleep well X.”
Despite finding major success as a group together, Malik and Payne had a famously complicated history. Payne made headlines in May 2022 when he said that there were “many reasons why” he “dislike[d]” Malik, but there were also “many reasons” why he will “always, always be on his side.
