Zayn Malik postpones tour dates after Liam Payne's death

Singer Zayn Malik has announced he is postponing dates on his upcoming tour after the death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.

The 31-year-old posted on X on Saturday: "Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I've made the decision to postpone the US leg of the STAIRWAY TO THE SKY Tour.

"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. Love you all and thank you for your understanding."

Payne died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday.

Malik was about to begin the US leg of his tour and was next due to perform in San Fransisco on Wednesday.

While the star said the seven American shows will now take place in January, he did not comment on the run of UK ones - starting in Edinburgh on 20 November.

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Malik left One Direction midway through their 2015 tour - before the remaining four stars parted ways the following year.

Paying tribute to Payne, 31, in an Instagram post earlier this week, he said that although they famously "butted heads", he "secretly respected" his bandmate.

"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," he wrote.

He added that he "never got to thank" his friend for "supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life".

"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 you were my friend and that I was loved," he said.

Payne's father Geoff arrived in Buenos Aires on Friday to arrange for his son's body to be returned to the UK.

He was seen outside the Casa Sur hotel where the singer died, reading tributes and looking at flowers left by fans.

Argentinian officials said Mr Payne visited Buenos Aires's morgue to identify his son before meeting with the local prosecutor's office.

Local media reported he was also expected to pick up some of Payne's belongings during the visit.

Tributes poured in from Payne's other ex-bandmates this week - Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson, as well as their former manager Simon Cowell.

(c) Sky News 2024: Zayn Malik postpones tour dates after Liam Payne's death