Zayn Malik Postpones U.S. Leg of New Tour After Liam Payne’s Death

Zayn Malik canceled the first concert, and the entire tour leg, of his Stairway to the Sky tour following the untimely death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.

Malik, 31, was scheduled to kick off the tour with a show in San Francisco on Wednesday, October 23. Several days earlier, he confirmed that the show would be postponed.

“Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I’ve made the decision to postpone the U.S. leg of the Stairway to the Sky Tour,” Malik wrote in a Saturday, October 19, Instagram Story statement. “The dates are being rescheduled for January and I’ll post them as soon as it’s all set in the next few days.”

He added, “Your tickets remain valid for the new dates. Love you all and thank you for understanding.”

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Malik announced the Stairway to the Sky tour in September, with five stops in the United States and six in the U.K. between October and December. “Appreciate your patience, love and support,” he wrote via Instagram at the time. “Can’t wait to enjoy great music together. This time I really mean soon see you in 35 days.”

This is Malik’s first solo tour of his career. The venture, which quickly sold out, follows the May release of his fourth studio album, Room Under the Stairs.

Malik’s cancellation of his San Francisco show comes after the shocking death of Payne at age 31. Us Weekly previously confirmed that Payne died on Wednesday, October 16 after a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.

Shortly after the tragedy, Buenos Aires emergency services chief Alberto Crescenti said that Payne suffered “serious injuries” that were untreatable by the time first responders arrived on the scene.

“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life,” Crescenti said, according to La Nacion. “Based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death.”

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Crescenti added, “The team could do absolutely nothing. There was no resuscitation because it was confirmed that he had died. The whole body had very serious injuries.”

Us confirmed at the time that Buenos Aires City Police officers were dispatched to the CasaSur Palermo Hotel after a 911 call about an aggressive man who was believed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. An investigation was launched by local law enforcement following the incident.

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Payne and Malik joined forces with Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson on the U.K. edition of X Factor in 2010 to form One Direction. The boy band skyrocketed to fame, releasing five studio albums between 2011 and 2015. Malik left the group in 2015, and the remaining members went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016. They each pursued solo careers, with Payne dropping his first album, LP1, in 2019.

Malik reflected on his exit from the band in 2023, sharing on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast that he “completely selfishly wanted to be the first person to make their own record.”