After the news broket Liam Payne died, fans and fellow artists shared stories and memories of the beloved One Direction star.
And then Zayn Malik joined us.
It’s no secret that the former bandmates had a relationship filled with disagreements and, in one case, even violence.
But that’s in the past, and right now, all Zayn feels for Liam is love and sadness.
Zayn pays tribute to Liam Payne With beautiful tribute
Shortly after the band released their joint statementZayn took it to Instagram pay taxes on your own.
He shared a letter written directly to Liam, sharing all the feelings and thoughts he had for his friend, knowing full well that they often “butted heads”:
“Liam, I found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you could hear me, I can’t help but selfishly think that there were so many more conversations to have in our lives.
I never got around to thanking you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life. When I missed home at 17, you were always there with a positive outlook and a reassuring smile and told me that you were my friend and that I was loved.”
He then addressed the elephant in the room, the times when they didn’t always see eye to eye.
“Even though you were younger than me, you were always more sensible than me, you were stubborn, stubborn and didn’t mind telling people when they were wrong. Even though we butted heads over this a few times, I always secretly respected you for that.”
“I have you in my heart forever”
He continued:
“As far as music goes, Liam, you were the most qualified in every way. I didn’t know anything compared, I was a new kid with no experience and you were already a professional. I was always happy to know, no matter what happened on stage, we could always trust you to know which way the ship should go.
I lost a brother when you left us and I can’t explain to you what I would give to just hug you one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you so much. I will forever hold all the memories I have with you in my heart, there are no words that justify or explain how I feel right now, other than devastated.”
He ended his letter with a simple wish for Liam:
“I hope that wherever you are right now you are safe and at peace and know how much you are loved.
I love you, bro.
Liam and Zayn’s complicated relationship
It’s no secret among One Direction fans that Liam and Zayn have never had an easier relationship.
After Zayn left the group in 2015, there was a lot of resentment and bitterness.
In a podcast with Logan Paul in 2022, Liam even alluded to an incident where the pair got into a fight.
“It’s well known within the band that I don’t like taking s—-,” Liam shared. “There was a point where there was an argument backstage and one member, in particular, threw me against the wall. So I told him, ‘If you don’t remove those hands, there’s a good chance you’ll never use them again.’”
He later spoke directly about Zayn and offered deeper insight into their relationship.
“There are many reasons why I don’t like Zayn and there are many reasons why I will always be by his side,” Liam began at the time. “If I had to go through what he went through, his growth and everything. My parents are very supportive, to the point of sometimes being annoying, and Zayn had a different upbringing in that sense.”
Later, when there was outrage over the interview, particularly from Zayn’s fans, Liam revealed his feelings once again.
“I was saying there will always be things we disagree on, but I will always, always be on his side. This is family. Zayn is my brother and I will support him forever,” he said.
Liam’s untimely death
It’s horrible to lose a beautiful soul like Liam’s, especially at such a young age.
The former boy bander died in front of a hotel in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. Local police confirmed on Wednesday that Liam was found dead after falling from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room.
In a statement, police in the capital said they were called to the hotel in the capital’s leafy Palermo neighborhood, where they were notified of an “aggressive man who may have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol.”
Liam has been honest over the years about his problems with alcoholism. However, in the various videos he posted to his Snapchat story in the hours leading up to his shocking death, Liam appeared at peace and happy.
In one of the deleted snapshots, he even shared with his fans that he was having a “beautiful day” while spending time with girlfriend Kate Cassidy in Argentina.
An incredibly awkward moment captured on film, knowing exactly how the day would end for him.