Liam Payne was honoured last night before the Jingle Bell Ball concert began at The O2 in London, with the Capital FM team praising the ‘kind-hearted spirit’ of the late star.
A message reading “Tonight we remember Liam Payne, 1993 - 2024” flashed up on screens either side of the stage as the crowd erupted into cheers.
The Jingle Bell Ball printed programme also paid tribute to the singer, who tragically died on October 16 after falling from a balcony of his Buenos Aires hotel room. Payne had performed regularly at the annual two-day concert organised by radio station Capital FM, which is happening in London this weekend.
Liam's Tribute displayed today before the show at the Capital Jingle Bell Ball pic.twitter.com/h2ZrJAtP3s
— Ziam Incorrect Quotes💧🏳️🌈 (@ZiamIncorrect) December 8, 2024
“This year we lost One Direction star Liam Payne, who was much loved by the Capital family,” read the memoriam.
“One Direction’s unforgettable performance at Capital’s Jingle Bell Ball in 2011 and 2012, and Capital’s Summertime Ball in 2015, are firm fan favourites, as are Liam’s solo performances in Summer 2017, and here at The O2, London, in 2017, 2018, and 2019. He was a regular visitor to the Global studios and was always kind and funny – making everyone feel at ease and chatting away happily to everyone he met,” it continued.
“When he headlined Capital Up Close in 2020, Liam said: ‘The one thing I’ll never take for granted about this job is the fact you get to put a smile on someone’s face’. That’s how we’ll always remember his kind-hearted spirit – how much he loved to bring joy to people around the world with his music.”
'When he headlined Capital Up Close in 2020, Liam said: "The one thing I'll never take for granted about this job is the fact you get to put a smile on someone's face." That's how we'll always remember his kind-hearted spirit '
— Liam Payne Music 💧 (@music_liampayne) December 8, 2024
~tribute to Liam Payne in Jingle Bell Ball 2024 🤍 pic.twitter.com/mc8WQUGO47
Last night was also the Jingle Bell Ball debut for Payne’s friend, Perrie Edwards. The former Little Mix member called Payne’s death “absolutely devastating”.
Fellow One Direction member Zayn Malik paid his own tribute to Payne at his solo show at the Eventim Apollo in November. Malik wore a diamond necklace that belonged to Payne, and performed in front of a screen with a heart that read “Liam Payne, 1993 - 2004, Love you bro”.
Singer Bob Geldof also gave an emotional eulogy to Payne, whose vocals feature on the 2024 Ultimate Mix revamp of charity song, Do They Know It’s Christmas? marking 40 years of Band Aid.
Geldof cried as he played the track on BBC Radio 2 and said Payne’s “voice lives on in the music”. “Liam, I was thinking of it at the funeral, and I just thought well, he's here,” said Geldof. “He's here with his mates. He's alive with us – and he's doing it for others”.
Payne’ was laid to rest in a private funeral in Buckinghamshire on November 20, in a ceremony attended by Malik and One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson.
The Jingle Bell Ball was headlined last night by Coldplay, with Katy Perry as tonight’s headline act.
