Zayn Malik Postpones Tour After The Death Of Liam Payne

Zayn Malik is still grappling with the loss of his former One Direction bandmate, Liam Payne.

This week, he announced that he is postponing his "Stairway to the Sky" tour in light of this "heartbreaking loss." In a brief message on his Instagram story, the singer-songwriter informed fans that he needs to delay the U.S. leg of his tour, which he plans to reschedule for January.

The U.S. leg of Zayn Malik's tour was originally set to begin next week in San Francisco, with additional stops planned in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and New York City.

Liam Payne tragically fell to his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, October 16. According to Buenos Aires City Police, the singer was on the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel when he seemingly jumped from the balcony of his room.

After Payne's former bandmates of One D released a joint statement, each member took to social media to pay individual tributes to the late singer--Zayn Malik included.

In 2022, Payne attracted attention for his remarks about his complicated relationship with Malik during an appearance on Logan Paul’s "Impaulsive" podcast, where he cited "many reasons" for his dislike of Malik. He later took to X to apologize for his comments.

Although it appears that the two never managed to reconcile, this loss is understandably weighing heavily on Malik, leading him to postpone his tour.

"Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I've made the decision to postpone the US leg of the STAIRWAY TO THE SKY Tour," he wrote on Instagram Stories. "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," he added. "Love you and thank you for understanding."

Malik had previously expressed his emotional response to the passing of his former One Direction bandmate, Payne.

“Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can’t help but think selfishly that there are 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,” Malik began via Instagram on Thursday, October 17. “When I was missing home as a 17-year-old kid, you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know that you were my friend and that I loved.”

Malik continued, “Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no f-ck 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.”

Harry Styles, whose solo career soared after the band's breakup, remembered Payne as someone who "lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve," describing him as "warm, supportive, and incredibly loving."

“His greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honor to be alongside him as he did it,” Styles said of Payne. “Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious. He was warm, supportive, and incredibly loving."

“The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life. I will miss him always, my lovely friend,” he continued.

The One Direction alum tragically passed away earlier this week in Argentina after reportedly falling from a third-floor balcony. As the investigation into his death continues, reports indicate that Payne was under the influence of drugs, exhibiting erratic behavior at the hotel and causing damage before being escorted back to his room.

In a 911 call, a hotel receptionist named Esteban described Payne as "off his head in drugs" and requested that an ambulance be urgently dispatched. It was later reported that hotel staff made two calls to emergency services, emphasizing the need for "urgent" assistance for him.

Liam Payne's family has since released a statement revealing they are "utterly devastated" by his loss.