The Brit Awards paid tribute to Liam Payne, the former One Direction star who died in October at age 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. The Wolverhampton-born singer rose to fame alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson after meeting on The X Factor.
Host Jack Whitehall introduced a black-and-white video montage, saying: 'It is now time to take a moment to remember a very special person who meant so much to many of the people in this room, and to millions of you around the world. 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.'
The video featured footage of Payne with his family, his X Factor journey, and his time with One Direction, who won seven Brit Awards before their hiatus. Their hit 'Little Things' played in the background, alongside a clip of Payne recording the song. The montage also showed Payne holding his son Bear, with Cheryl Tweedy, and a photograph of him meeting Queen Elizabeth II.
After One Direction went on hiatus, Payne launched a solo career, releasing his debut album LP1 in December 2019, including singles 'Polaroid', 'Strip That Down' with Quavo, and 'For You' with Rita Ora. His bandmates, who did not appear at this year's ceremony, attended his funeral in November and released a joint statement saying they were 'completely devastated' and would miss him 'terribly'.
