The Wanted led their fans in a minute of applause for the late Liam Payne on Thursday evening.
The One Direction star died instantly after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Argentine capital Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
The following evening, British boy-band The Wanted paid tribute to their old friend while performing at the Avalon Theatre in Niagara Falls, Canada.
Band members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes remembered how kind and supportive he was when former bandmate Tom Parker died from a brain tumour in 2022.
In video footage from the concert shared on X, Max said: ‘Yesterday, we found out the tragic news about someone that we knew personally — Liam Payne— and yeah and obviously shockingly heartbreaking.
The Wanted led their fans in a minute of applause for the late Liam Payne while performing in Niagara Falls, Canada on Thursday evening
The One Direction star died instantly after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Argentine capital Buenos Aires on Wednesday
The band remembered how kind and supportive he was when former bandmate Tom Parker (pictured) died from a brain tumour in 2022
‘Our thoughts and prayers go out to him, his friends, family and fans all over the world.”
He noted the singer had been “really, really supportive” when they staged a fundraiser following Tom’s diagnosis.
He added: ‘He was the first person, the first artist to put his hand up and say that he wanted to perform, which we’ll never forget.
‘He was amazing … and even after Tom passed, you know he came to Tom’s funeral, and he was extremely supportive to all of us, even though we hadn’t really been sort of friends.
‘We knew each other up until Tom [died]. We became friends and he really, really supported us and we’ll never ever forget that.’
Max and Siva then urged the audience to take part in a moment of applause for Liam, and the crowd clapped for over a minute.
The touching moment came after Max had earlier shared a tribute to Liam on Instagram.
He wrote alongside a number of photos: ‘Absolutely devastating news. I met Liam way back when 1D were on X Factor.
Payne was also given a special mention on Saturday evening as this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees were named in Cleveland, Ohio
The One Direction star fell from a third floor balcony at the CasaSur hotel (seen in a drone image)
Vigils have been held across the world in the days Payne died. One is pictured in Stockholm, Sweden, on Saturday
‘Over the last few years I had the pleasure of getting to know him personally and spent some treasured time with him.
‘Liam was absolutely wonderful in terms of support when Tom fell ill, performing at the Royal Albert Hall with us for Stand Up To Cancer.
‘He supported me a lot personally after Tom passed. I will never forget that.’
He added: ‘My thoughts are with his family, friends and fans all around the world at this tragic time. Rest in Peace Liam. Much love brother. [sic]’
It comes as:
- Liam had been ‘re-working’ his favorite One Direction track ‘Fireproof’ on his computer just hours before his death.
- He was in Argentina to renew his US visa and had passed medical and psychological tests days before which proved he was ‘totally clean.’
- He was in ‘good spirits’ and had been planning to fly back home to girlfriend Kate Cassidy in Miami on Friday.
- His final meal was his favourite, chocolate-chip cookies.
Payne was also given a special mention on Saturday evening as this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees were named in Cleveland, Ohio.
The British singer was included among the annual event’s memorials at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
An image of Payne, taken during his early days with One Direction, was projected into the auditorium, prompting wild cheers from those in attendance.
The singer died instantly after plunging 45ft from his third-floor hotel room balcony onto the patio below at 5.04pm on Wednesday.
Police found drugs in his room including ‘cristal’, a potent hallucinogenic that causes blackouts and psychotic episodes.
A source told MailOnline: ‘Where did Liam get the drugs when he had no money?’
Payne was initially in Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy (right) before she left for the US in the days before he died
He rose to fame with band One Direction. He is pictured with bandmates (left-right) Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik
Multiple police sources have said investigators believe someone in the hotel supplied him with drugs.
There have been unconfirmed reports that the hotel conducted an internal probe and fired at least one employee.
Payne arrived in Argentina on September 30 with his girlfriend Kate and close friend Roger Nores.
The source said: ‘Liam’s US visa was expiring and he had to leave America to renew it so he decided to go to Buenos Aires to see Niall Horan perform and get his new visa.’
But when Payne went to the US embassy in Buenos Aires the week before last he found officials had Googled him and discovered he had spent multiple stints in rehab for drugs and alcohol.
‘They ordered him to do medical tests, see a doctor, do bloodwork and x-rays and see a psychiatrist and that was all done the first week. Liam thought the trip would only last a few days but because of all the tests he ended up getting stuck there.’
L-R: The Wanted stars Jay McGuiness, Nathan Sykes, Tom Parker, Max George and Siva Kaneswaran in 2021
After spending last weekend at a polo farm outside Buenos Aires, girlfriend Kate Cassidy flew back to Miami on Monday to care for the couple’s dog while Liam checked into the CasaSur hotel.
‘He had no money and his credit cards weren’t working, so he was spending all his time in the room.
‘On Tuesday he asked for a McDonald’s. He was happy and in good spirits.
‘The test results all came back totally clean on Tuesday and he had an appointment at the embassy to get his passport stamped with the visa on Thursday and then he was going to leave Argentina immediately.’
The source said a family friend visited him around 10:00am that morning to deliver his favourite ‘American style’ chocolate-chip cookies from a bakery three blocks from the hotel.
‘He seemed a bit tipsy, like he had been drinking, but wasn’t in a bad state. He was happy.
‘He was replicating Fireproof on his computer. He loved recreating instrumentals and that was his favourite One Direction song.
‘He was redoing the beat. He was in a good place, planning for the future, looking forward to going home to Miami to his girlfriend and his dog.’
