One Direction fans sobbing over ‘beautiful’ Brit Awards tribute to Liam Payne

Liam Payne was honoured tonight with a special tribute at this year’s Brit Awards, four months after his death. The One Direction singer tragically died aged 31, on October 16, 2024, after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Tributes flooded in from across the globe, from his family, former bandmates, girlfriend Kate Cassidy, and Cheryl, the mother of his young son Bear. Follow along with Metro’s Brit Award 2025 Live Blog as we bring you all the latest.

An investigation is still ongoing into the circumstances surrounding Payne’s untimely death while his fans and loved ones navigate life without him. The latest organisation to pay tribute to the star is the Brit Awards, and the moment had viewers sobbing.

Host Jack Whitehall introduced a video segment which showed clips of Payne over the years and an older clip of him talking how special the industry was to him.

‘It is now time to take a moment to remember a very special person who meant so much to so many people in this room and to millions of you around the world,’ he began.

‘He achieved so much in the short time that he was on this Earth and he was not only a supremely gifted musician but an incredibly kind soul who touched the lives of everyone he came into contact with.

‘We have so many amazing memories of Liam here at the Brits, so tonight, we celebrate his legacy, and look back and remember the remarkable Liam Payne.’

In the clip, Payne could be heard saying: ‘Wherever I went, my dad could be heard telling people I could sing.’

‘We never expected anything of this to happen, and for me it’s like waking up to 80,000 people screaming your name,’ Payne went on, talking of his One Direction fame.

Pictures of him over the years, including as a child and with his family, played over his rendition of Little Things, as well as clips of the band’s X Factor days and snaps of Payne with his son Bear.

‘I hope that me singing today brings some people some enjoyment somewhere,’ he added, before clips of One Direction’s touring days aired.

‘We thought something might happen but never anything like this, I am always trying to remind myself of where I’ve come from and get to in life, it’s amazing really.’

The moment had viewers sobbing, with Sue writing: ‘That Liam Payne tribute was so sad.’

Claire wrote: ‘Tribute to Liam Payne was lovely. Brought tears to my eyes, it’s still a f**king shame this happened to him, he should have been there to perform.’

‘Absolutely in bits at the Liam tribute,’ Eve said.

Aaron added: ‘Liam Payne, a life taken way too soon. Extremely talented, misunderstood and interspersed with pain that he tried so hard to overcome. What a moving tribute. RIP Liam.’

‘I was not prepared for the Liam tribute,’ May wrote.

Following the tribute, Payne’s former bandmate Louis Tomlinson also wrote on X: ‘Thank you @BRITs . Beautiful tribute. Miss you always brother x.’

The comes after the Grammys and EMAs also paid their respects to the late pop star.

It was previously speculated that One Direction – which also included Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan – could reunite for the occasion after going on indefinite hiatus in 2015.

However, it was later confirmed that an official tribute from the foursome was not on the cards, as The Sun claimed a reunion of sorts would ‘distract’ from remembering Payne himself.

A music insider told the publication: ‘It has been a really emotional time for the lads and it was decided it would just be too much.

‘They have grieved in private and don’t feel the need to do a big, showy tribute for the sake of it.

‘Millions of fans will be disappointed not to see them back on stage together but the time is just not right.

‘Apart from anything else, Zayn lives in America now and they are all at different places in life.’

They declared that ‘a One Direction reunion is not on the cards at all.’

A source previously explained to The Sun that the tribute for Payne at this year’s Brits has generated ‘a real buzz’ around whether his bandmates would be back on stage together for the first time in five years. It was initially claimed that talks were ‘underway’ for the ‘fitting’ tribute to take place for an emotional segment.

The mole went on to say that other musicians could be involved in the tribute to the beloved singer. Performers for the 2025 show tonight included Sabrina Carpenter, Jade Thirlwall and Sam Fender.

Meanwhile, Dua Lipa, Chappell Roan, Raye, Coldplay, and Charli XCX were all nominated in top categories.

Payne and One Direction attended the Brits many times over the years, with the band scooping seven awards since their formation in 2010 on The X Factor. The insider said that Payne ‘loved’ the annual music event and will ‘forever be part of the show’s history.’

This year’s Brits tribute to the Strip That Down hitmaker comes after one was unveiled at Clevedon Pier in Somerset, 10 years after the boyband filmed a music video there. The What Makes You Beautiful singers filmed You & I there in 2014, with fans feeling a ‘connection’ to the late singer at the historic site.

Other recent gestures in Payne’s memory have included the band’s hit documentary This Is Us becoming available to watch on the big screen for one night only, with proceeds donated to charity.

Announcing the news, Odeon shared that money raised from ticket sales would go to mental health awareness charities Mind, SAMH and Aware NI.

As for the police investigation into Payne’s death, the latest development saw manslaughter charges dropped against two hotel workers and Payne’s former manager and friend, Rogelio Nores.

A pair of employees accused of selling Payne drugs before his fatal fall will remain in prison after being told they still face prosecution and probable trial.