Last night (February 2), One Direction member Liam Payne was given a “heartbreaking” tribute at the Grammy Awards, nearly four months after he died.
On October 16, Liam died at the age of 31 after he fell from the third storey balcony at his hotel in Argentina. Since his passing, five people have been arrested in connection with his death, including one of his friends.
But Liam’s death is one that the world is still struggling to move on from. And last night, the Grammys gave him a beautiful but heartbreaking tribute that had fans in tears as they realised what could have been.
Grammy tribute to Liam Payne
During the In Memoriam section, the One Direction singer had his own lengthy tribute.
The Grammys showed a video of Liam during his early fame days. Taking a clip from the One Direction movie, Liam is heard saying: “We never expected any of this to happen. We have done some amazing things.”
Coldplay’s Chris Martin performed All My Love while the photo of Liam appeared, reading: “Liam Payne, singer-songwriter. One Direction.”
Fans expected Liam to feature in the tributes, but didn’t anticipate just how much it would hurt.
The #Grammys2025 pays tribute to Liam Payne in their memoriam. ️❤️ pic.twitter.com/O825L4X1pp
— Remembering Liam Payne (@updatingljp) February 3, 2025
Taking to X, fans applauded the Grammys for acknowledging the impact Liam had on people’s lives.
One wrote: “I honestly don’t know if I will ever fully grasp that Liam is gone. Seeing him on the screen just doesn’t feel real and I don’t know if it ever will.”
This will never not hurt.
Another penned: “The second I saw Liam on that screen I burst into tears. He really is gone. One Direction is forever gone. This is someone so many of us loved so much growing up. This will never not hurt.”
A third wrote: “Seeing Liam on that tribute felt wrong. He really is gone. It shouldn’t be this way, he was so excited for his future music.”
One Direction fans ‘heartbroken’
Many fans were upset that this was the first time One Direction had been recognised by the Grammys – despite being one of the biggest boybands for more than 10 years.
“The fact that One Direction was the biggest music worldwide sensation of this century and yet never won a Grammy is insane to me. Their only Grammy moment was not supposed to be Liam in the memoriam,” a heartbroken fan penned.
Liam’s video was put together by the Grammy producer Ben Winston, who was also a collaborator of One Direction over the years.
He shared his heartbreak over making the tribute: “Seeing him up on that screen is not something I would have ever imagined. It is extra sad for people – not just me who loved Liam, but for so many.”
One fan thanked him for making the tribute so special for One Direction fans. They wrote: “Thank you Ben Winston for healing our One Direction hearts. Even just a little with that beautifully heartbreaking nod to Liam.”
The tribute also featured scenes of Liam at One Direction’s ‘infinity wall’, which Ben later said in a post on X: “Infinity felt right.”
It comes as the reports that his One Direction bandmates will reunite at the BRIT Awards for a very special tribute.
The BRITs were a huge part of the band’s success over the years, and Liam was a frequent attendee and performer.
Read more: Netflix gives update on Liam Payne’s TV series filmed weeks before tragic death
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