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Shawn Mendes.
Noam Galai/Getty Images for MTVAn emotional one Shawn Mendes interrupted his concert in Brooklyn to pay tribute to Liam Payne.
Mendes, 26, addressed the audience at the Paramount Theater on Friday, October 18, saying the news of Payne’s death two days earlier felt “completely devastating,” according to social media images found online.
“I met Liam a few times, and he was a beautiful soul and his eyes were shining, it was beautiful,” the singer-songwriter told the audience. “It’s about mourning those we miss with tears and it’s also about celebrating them and who they were and what they left behind in this world. I want to take a moment to send so much love to him wherever he is. Liam, we love you. The world weeps for you, brother, and we all pray for your son and your family. I miss you. This one is for you tonight, Liam, from all of us.”
Billboard reported On Friday, Mendes followed his comments with a performance of his new song “Heart of Gold,” which he dedicated to Payne. The song’s chorus contains the lyrics “You had a heart of gold / You left too soon, it was out of your control / Under your skin and bones / You had a heart of gold.”
We weekly confirmed that Payne died at the age of 31 on Wednesday, October 16, after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The singer suffered a skull fracture and other serious injuries that were too serious for emergency treatment. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Payne is survived by 7-year-old son Bear, whom he shared with his ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole.
Shawn Mendes talks about Liam Payne tonight and dedicates ‘Heart Of Gold’ to him #ForFriendsAndFamilyOnly Brooklyn💛 pic.twitter.com/ohSljOUvVb
— The Mendes Updates (@TheSMendesUpdt) October 19, 2024
“As I attempt to navigate this earth-shattering event and process my own grief during this indescribably painful time, I would like to gently remind everyone that we have lost a human being,” Cole, 41, wrote, breaking her silence via Instagram on Friday. “Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7-year-old son. A son who now has to face the reality that he will never see his father again.”
Payne and Cole dated from 2016 to 2018 after first meeting in 2008 while Payne was a contestant on The X Factor Britain. Cole – a member of the girl band Girls Aloud – was a jury member in the series at the time. Payne returned to the show two years later in 2010 Simon Cowell famously brought him together Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan And Louis Tomlinson to form One Direction.
Cowell, 65, went to Instagram on Friday to reflect on a meeting he had with Payne last year where they “reminisced about all the fun times we had together. And you were so proud to be a father. After you left, I was reminded that you were still the sweet, kind boy I met all those years ago.
About Bear, he added, “He has your smile and that twinkle in his eye that you have. He will be so proud of everything you have accomplished. And how you achieved that.”