Members of British boy band The Wanted paid tribute to Liam Payne onstage following his Oct. 16 death at age 31.
Max George, 36, honored the One Direction alum during the group’s concert on Thursday, Oct. 17, at the Avalon Theatre in Canada, leading to a lengthy applause from the crowd, as seen in a video shared on X.
“Yesterday, we found out the tragic news about someone that we knew personally — Liam Payne— and yeah and obviously shockingly heartbreaking,” George said mid-concert in the video. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to him, his friends, family and fans all over the world.”
George noted that Payne had been “really, really supportive” when the band threw an event to help raise funds after their bandmate Tom Parker, who died in 2022, was diagnosed with cancer.
“He was the first person, the first artist to put his hand up and say that he wanted to perform [at the event], which we’ll never forget,” George recalled.
“[Payne] 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,” he continued. “We knew each other up until Tom [died]. We became friends and he really, really supported us and we’ll never ever forget that.”
He and fellow bandmate Siva Kaneswaran then proceeded to lead the audience in a moment of “applause” for Payne, which lasted for more than a minute.
George also previously paid tribute to Payne, who fell from a balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires on Oct. 16, on Instagram, writing that Payne’s death was “absolutely devastating news.”
“I met Liam way back when 1D were on X Factor. Over the last few years I had the pleasure of getting to know him personally and spent some treasured time with him,” George wrote.
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“He supported me a lot personally after Tom passed. I will never forget that,” George continued. “My thoughts are with his family, friends and fans all around the world at this tragic time. Rest in Peace Liam. Much love brother 🖤.”
Kelsey Parker, the widow of Tom, also paid tribute to the “Teardrops” singer in an Instagram post alongside a black-and-white photo of him. She shared that she was “devastated” after “hearing the news.”
“Liam you were one of the kindest souls who supported Tom and I. You’ve continued to support me and the children in recent years ❤️,” she wrote in the caption.
“I will never forget the love and support you showed to us,” Kelsey continued. “I really hope you have found peace 🙏🏻✨ My thoughts are with your fam.”
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