Zayn Malik is reportedly in “bits” following the death of his former bandmate Liam Payne.
The tragic news has left the world shocked and heartbroken. The singer fell from his third-floor hotel balcony in Argentina on Wednesday.
Liam, who was just 31, found fame on The X Factor and went on to have worldwide stardom with his One Direction bandmates.
However, it seems Liam had a rocky relationship with some of his bandmates. In particular, he previously opened up about having a difficult friendship with Zayn.
According to reports, Zayn has been left “in shock” over Liam’s death.
Zayn Malik ‘in bits’ over Liam Payne death
A source has told the MailOnline: “Zayn was told in the early hours of this morning and has been in absolute bits.
“He is in shock, and his parents have been in touch with Liam’s family to offer their support and condolences. People close to Zayn don’t want him to be alone at the moment, so he is surrounded by friends.”
The insider claimed that it had been a “while since Zayn and Liam had spoken” due to “issues they had with one another in the past”.
However, they added: “But they respected each other from a distance,. They didn’t hate each other but they couldn’t see eye to eye on different things. But they both felt that they had been exploited in the music industry.”
ED! has contacted reps for Zayn for comment.
Zayn and Liam relationship
Singer Liam was vocal about his friendship with Zayn over the years. They came together in 2010 along with Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan to form One Direction.
However, in 2015, Zayn announced he had quit the band.
At that time, Liam said of Zayn’s departure: “He had to do what he had to do really, for himself. It’s fine. We’re just going to carry on doing what we’re doing.
“We wish him all the best with whatever he goes into and stuff. We’ll just have to see what happens.”
However, in the years that followed and once the band had all gone their separate ways in 2016, Liam appeared to make some digs at Zayn.
During an appearance on the Killing It podcast in 2020, Liam said: “Zayn makes music, but he doesn’t really perform.
“For him, he had such performance anxiety that he just couldn’t put his head around it.”
He added at the time: “He likes going to the studio, making the songs, he just doesn’t want to do anything that happens after that. But he is streaming hugely.”
Liam Payne podcast comments
Meanwhile, in 2022, whilst speaking on the Impaulsive podcast, Liam said of his bandmate: “There’s many reasons why I dislike Zayn and there’s many reasons why I’ll always, always be on his side.
“My parents are overly supportive to the point where it’s annoying at times. Zayn had a different upbringing in that sense.
“You can always look at the man for where he is and say, ‘Oh, yeah, whatever, that guy’s a [bleep].’
“But at the end of the day, once you understand what he’s been through to get to that point — and also whether or not he wanted to be there.”
During that same interview, Liam claimed that he and one of his former One Direction bandmates “hated each other” during their time in the band.
He said: “There was one moment where there was an argument backstage, and one member in particular threw me up a wall.”
However, he didn’t name the bandmate. Liam’s former fiancée Maya Henry has since alleged that Liam was talking about Zayn. However, that hasn’t been confirmed.
After his podcast comments in 2022, Liam appeared to address them on X.
He said: “I wouldn’t normally comment on this stuff but when it’s your family it’s hard to let it slide. They mentioned a specific incident involving Zayn which I responded to — but listening back maybe I didn’t articulate myself as well as I could have.
“I was saying that there will always be things we disagree on but that I will always, always be on his side. That’s family. Zayn is my brother and I will stand by him forever.”
Read more: Inside Liam Payne’s hotel room as new pics show smashed TV, tin foil, ‘white powder’ and alcohol
Then in a 2023 YouTube video, Liam gushed over his bandmates. He said of the podcast appearance: “A lot of what I said came from the wrong place.
“The rest of the boys really stuck by me when I needed them most, they kinda came to the rescue. Even Zayn, as well, which is why I did send him a little thank you online.”
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