The Wanted led their fans with a minute’s applause for the late Liam Payne on Thursday evening.
The One Direction star died instantly on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.
The following evening, British boy band The Wanted paid tribute to their old friend during a performance at the Avalon Theater in Niagara Falls, Canada.
Bandmates Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes recalled how kind and supportive he was when former bandmate Tom Parker died of a brain tumor in 2022.
In video footage of the concert shared on
The Wanted led their fans with a minute of applause for the late Liam Payne during a performance in Niagara Falls, Canada on Thursday evening
The band remembered how kind and supportive he was when former bandmate Tom Parker (pictured) died of a brain tumor in 2022.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to him, his friends, family and fans around the world.”
He noted that the singer had been “really very helpful” when they organized a fundraiser following Tom’s diagnosis.
He added: “He was the first person, the first artist to raise his hand and say he wanted to perform, which we will never forget.
“He was amazing… and even after Tom passed away, you know he came to Tom’s funeral, and he was a huge support to all of us, even though we hadn’t really been friends.
‘We knew each other until Tom [died]. We became friends and he really supported us, and we’ll never forget that.”
Max and Siva then urged the audience to join in a moment of applause for Liam, and the crowd clapped for over a minute.
The touching moment came after Max previously shared a tribute to Liam on Instagram.
He wrote alongside some of the photos: ‘Absolutely devastating news. I met Liam way back when 1D was on X Factor.
Payne also received a special mention Saturday evening when 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 of the CasaSur hotel (seen in a drone image)
In the days since Payne died, vigils have been held around the world. One was pictured in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday
“Over the past few years I have had the pleasure of getting to know him personally and spending precious time with him.
‘Liam was absolutely amazing in terms of support when Tom became ill, performing with us at the Royal Albert Hall for Stand Up To Cancer.
‘He personally supported me a lot after Tom passed away. I’ll never forget that.’
He added: “My thoughts are with his family, friends and fans around the world at this tragic time. Rest in peace Liam. Lots of love brother. [sic]’
It comes as:
- Liam was ‘re-editing’ his favorite One Direction song ‘Fireproof’ on his computer just hours before his death.
- He was in Argentina to renew his US visa and had undergone medical and psychological tests just days earlier that showed he was ‘completely clean’.
- He was in “good spirits” and planned to fly home to girlfriend Kate Cassidy in Miami on Friday.
- His last meal was his favorite chocolate chip cookies.
Payne also received a special mention Saturday evening when this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees were named in Cleveland, Ohio.
The British singer was included as one of 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 venue, prompting wild cheers from those in attendance.
The singer died instantly after plunging 45 feet from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room onto the patio below at 5:04 p.m. on Wednesday.
Police found drugs in his room, including ‘cristal’, a powerful hallucinogen 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 heading to the US in the days before he died
He became famous with the band One Direction. He is pictured with band members (left-right) Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik
Multiple police sources have said investigators believe someone at the hotel supplied him with drugs.
There are unconfirmed reports that the hotel has conducted an internal investigation 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 expired 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 U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires last week, he discovered that officials had Googled him and discovered that he had spent multiple stints in rehab for drugs and alcohol.
“They ordered him to do medical tests, see a doctor, get blood tests and x-rays and see a psychiatrist, and that all happened in the first week. Liam thought the trip would only last a few days, but all the testing got him stuck there.”
L-R: The Wanted with 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 didn’t work, so he spent all his time in the room.
“On Tuesday he asked for a McDonald’s. He was happy and cheerful.
‘The test results all came back completely clear on Tuesday and he had an appointment at the embassy to have his passport stamped with the visa on Thursday and then he would leave Argentina immediately.’
The source said a family friend visited him around 10 a.m. that morning to deliver his favorite “American-style” chocolate chip cookies to a bakery three blocks from the hotel.
‘He seemed a little tipsy, like he’d been drinking, but wasn’t in bad shape. He was happy.
“He replicated Fireproof on his computer. He loved recreating instrumentals and that was his favorite One Direction song.
“He was repeating the beat. He was in a good place, making plans for the future and looking forward to going home to Miami to his girlfriend and his dog.”