Zayn Malik cancels tour after 'heartbreaking' death of Liam Payne

Zayn Malik has cancelled the American leg of his upcoming tour after

Liam tragically fell to his death while in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after falling from the balcony of his third floor hotel room. Emergency service personnel

recently paid tribute to Liam following his death and said he "never got to say thank you" to his late bandmate. In recent years, the pair had fallen out of contact but just days before his death, Liam praised Zayn for "doing well" after hearing that the 31-year-old was preparing to head out for the first time. His last American show was set for the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, on November 3. Elsewhere, he he set to commence the UK leg of his tour on November 20 at the O2 Academy in Edinburgh, before completing it on December 4 at Manchester's O2 Apollo.

Previously, Zayn had spoken about his anxiety while performing after quitting One Direction back in 2015. But just three days after Liam's heartbreaking death aged 31, he has since announced that the US leg of his Stairway To The Sky Tour is being postponed until next year.

In view of his 53.9 million followers on Instagram, the Pillowtalk singer said: "Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I've made the decision to postpone the US leg of the STAIRWAY TO THE SKY Tour. The dates are being rescheduled for January and I'll post them as soon as it's all set in the next few days. Your tickets will remain valid for the new dates. Love you all and thank you for your understanding."

Zayn previously shared a tear-jerking tribute to Wolverhampton-born Liam just the day after he sadly passed away. Posting on , Zayn wrote: "Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me, I can't help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives. I never got to thank you for supporting me through some of the most difficult times in my life.

"When I was missing home as a 17 yr old kid you would always be there with a positive outlook and reassuring smile and let me know you were my friend and that I was loved. Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no f***s about telling people when they were wrong.

"Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it. When it came to the music Liam, you were the most qualified in every sense. I knew nothing in comparison, l was a novice child with no experience and you were already a professional.

"I was always happy to know, no matter what happened on stage we could always rely on you to know which way to steer the ship next. I lost a brother when you left us and can't explain to you what l'd give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly. I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever, there is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated.

"I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are. Love you bro." Officials in the Argentine capital have said “everything indicates” the former star was alone when he died and an investigation has been launched into the tragedy.

Police retrieved Liam's phone in the immediate aftermath of his death, and the device will play a key role in understanding what happened to Liam in the moments before his death. A source close to the investigation told The Sun that the circumstances in the run-up to his fatal fall are "suspicious", and authorities are looking for a possible drug dealer who could have supplied the singer with "illegal substances".

It's believed that Liam fell from around 13 or 14 metres and suffered "very serious injuries incompatible with life." While City ambulance service provider spokesman Alberto Crescenti said he had fallen around 40 metres and suffered "severe injuries which were incompatible with life."

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