The 2025 BRIT Awards dedicated a moment of remembrance to the late Liam Payne.
During the ceremony, held at London’s The O2 Arena on March 1, host Jack Whitehall announced that it was “time to remember a very special person who meant so much to so many of the people in this room and to millions of you around the world.”
“Last October, we woke to the devastating news that Liam Payne had tragically passed away,” the actor and comedian said. “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 who touched the lives of everyone he came into contact with. We have so many amazing memories of Liam here at the BRITs, so tonight we celebrate his legacy, and look back and remember the remarkable Liam Payne.”
The show then segued into a 2-minute video tribute set to One Direction‘s hit ballad “Little Things,” featuring Payne’s vocals. The heartfelt homage showcased childhood and family photos, eventually tracing the boy band’s rise to international superstardom since its inception on The X Factor U.K. in 2010.
According to previous reporting, the tribute was set to potentially include a reunion with remaining bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik, marking a first since the group’s disbandment nearly a decade prior.
Payne died Oct. 16, 2024 at the age of 31, after falling from the third-floor balcony of hotel CasaSur Palermo in Buenos Aires, sending shockwaves through the world of music. Following his funeral, held in November in Buckinghamshire, it was reported at the end of December that five people were charged in connection with his death. The news followed an Argentinian official ruling that eliminated suicide as a cause of death, as a toxicology report and witnesses cited drug use as context related to the death.
