Liam Payne honoured in emotional tribute at 2025 BRIT Awards: “Tonight we celebrate his legacy”
The BRIT Awards honoured the late Liam Payne in an emotional tribute last night – see the footage below.
At yesterday’s ceremony, comedian and actor Jack Whitehall, a friend of the late One Direction star, returned to host the show for the first time since 2021. Towards its end, he told the audience at London’s O2 it was time to honour “a very special person who meant so much to so many of the people in this room and to millions of you around the world.”
“Last October, we woke to the devastating news that Liam Payne had tragically passed away,” he said. The pop singer tragically died on October 16 last year, after he fell from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, with the Argentinian prosecutor’s office sharing at the time that his cause of death was due to multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding.
“He achieved so much in the short time that he was on this earth, and 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, look back and remember the remarkable Liam Payne.”
A video montage featuring footage of Payne on tour with One Direction and his family then played, soundtracked to the band’s ‘Little Things’. After the tribute aired, Payne’s former bandmate Louis Tomlinson took to X/Twitter to thank the BRITS for the “beautiful tribute,” adding: “Miss you always brother.”
The boyband won seven BRIT Awards in their time together, including four wins in the British video of the year category, while Payne was nominated for his ‘Strip That Down’ collaboration with American rapper Quavo, and ‘For You’ with Rita Ora outside of his work with the band.
Following Payne’s passing, bandmates Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson shared a statement.
“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly,” began their statement.
It continued: “The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam. – Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.”
Payne was also honoured by the music community at the 2025 Grammy Awards earlier this year, with Coldplay’s Chris Martin performing a heartfelt version of ‘All My Love’ for the In Memoriam segment.
More recently, the singer’s friend Roger Nores and two hotel workers were exonerated of the charges against them for Payne’s death last year. Five people were arrested and charged in connection with his death, among them were Nores and two members of staff at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel Gilda Martin and Esteban Grassi.
Nores was charged with negligent homicide, while Martin and Grassi were charged with manslaughter. All charges against the three of them have now been dropped, per a Rolling Stone report.
Nores, who had been friends with Payne and was with him in Argentina, claimed to have left the singer on his own on the day of his death, though he maintained that he’s never provided the singer with drugs or alcohol, and had in the past reached out the Payne’s family out of worry for the singer’s well-being.
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Poppy Burton
NME
