After news broke that Liam Payne had passed away, fans and fellow artists alike shared stories and memories of the beloved One Direction star.
And Zayn Malik joins us.
It’s no secret that the former bandmates had a relationship filled with disagreements and, in some cases, even violence.
But that’s in the past, and now all Zayn feels for Liam is love and sadness.
Zayn presents the honor to Liam Payne. With a beautiful memorial
Shortly after the band released a joint statement, Zayn paid tribute himself via Instagram.
He shared a hand-written letter to Liam in which he shared all his feelings and thoughts about his friend, knowing full well that they had “butted heads”.
“Liam, I find myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me. I selfishly can’t help but think that there are so many more conversations we need to have in our lives.
I have never been able to thank you enough for helping me get through the most difficult time of my life. “When I was 17 and missing home, you were always there with your positive thoughts and reassuring smile, letting me know that you were my friend and that I was loved.”
He then addresses the elephant in the room about the times when they didn’t always see eye to eye.
“You were younger than me, but you were always wiser than me, stubborn and self-righteous, and you never cared to tell people when they were wrong. “No matter how many times we butted heads over that, I always secretly respected him,” he said.
“You are in my heart forever”
He continued:
“Liam, when it comes to music, you are the most qualified person in every way. Compared to that, I knew nothing, I was a beginner with no experience, and you were already a professional. No matter what happens on stage, we’re always happy to know that you’ll always know which way to steer your ship next.
I lost a brother when you left us and I can’t explain what I would give to hug you one last time and say goodbye properly and tell you that I loved and respected you so much. I will keep all the memories I have with you in my heart forever. “There are no words that can justify or explain how I feel right now other than being beyond devastated.”
He concluded his letter with a simple wish for Liam:
“I hope wherever you are right now, you feel good, you find peace, and you know how loved you are.
“I love you, bro.”
Liam and Zayn’s complex relationship
It’s no secret among One Direction fans that Liam and Zayn have never had the easiest relationship.
After Zain left the team in 2015, there was a lot of resentment and bitterness.
During a podcast with Logan Paul in 2022, Liam also mentioned an incident in which the two came to blows.
“It was well known within the band that I didn’t like taking the s—-.” Liam said: “There was a moment when an argument broke out backstage, and one member in particular pushed me against the wall. So I told him, ‘If you don’t take that hand off, there’s a good chance you’ll never be able to use it again.’”
He later spoke directly about Zayn and gave a deeper look into their relationship.
“There are many reasons why I hate Zayn and many reasons why I will always be on his side,” Liam began at the time. “If I had to go through what he went through, his growth, etc. “My parents were overly supportive, sometimes to the point of irritating, but Jane received a different upbringing in that respect.”
Later, after outrage erupted over the interview, especially from Zayn’s fans, Liam once again made his feelings known.
“I was saying there will always be things we disagree on, but I will always, always be on his side. It’s family. “Jane is my brother and I will forever be by his side.”
Liam’s sudden death
It’s terrible to lose a beautiful soul like Liam. This is especially true at a young age.
A former boy bander died outside a hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. Local police confirmed on Wednesday that Liam was found dead after falling from a hotel’s third-floor balcony.
Metropolitan police said in a statement they were called to a hotel in the capital’s leafy Palermo neighborhood, where they were informed of “an aggressive man who may be under the influence of drugs and alcohol.”
Liam has been honest about his struggles with alcoholism for many years. But in several videos he posted to his Snapchat Story just hours before his shocking death, Liam appeared peaceful and happy.
In one of the since-deleted photos, he shared with fans that he was having a ‘lovely day’ as he spent time with girlfriend Kate Cassidy in Argentina.
It was an incredibly eerie moment captured on film, even though I knew how the day would end.
