Almost a month on from the shocking death of Liam Payne, tributes from friends and fellow musicians continue to reduce fans to tears.
On October 16, the One Direction star tragically died at the age of 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony at his hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
During the MTV EMAs in Manchester, his friend Rita Ora broke down on stage as she honoured his legacy.
Now, a fellow chart-topping boyband has left fans ‘horrifically emotional’ with their live cover of one of One Direction’s biggest hits.
The Jonas Brothers did not introduce the song or speak about Payne’s death, instead, Nick began playing the opening chords to Night Changes to a stunned audience.
He and Joe took turns singing a verse each before signalling to the crowd in California to join in with the chorus and end.
The 2014 track saw a huge spike in streams after the death of Payne, given the incredibly poignant reflective lyrics.
Videos of the performance appeared online as fans praised the SOS hitmakers for the ‘beautiful’ tribute.
‘Seeing my first “boyband” cover my boyband after all this is making me horrifically emotional,’ wrote Kay on X.
Andrea added: ‘Thank you, to all of the artists for honoring Liam. That really shows you what kind of person he was. And how beloved he was by all that came in contact with him.’
‘Oh I am SOBBING,’ said Macy as Tee shared: ‘My heart can NOT take this really literally actually honestly I can not take this.’
‘My God, I didn’t expect this, I’m broken,’ added M, along with hundreds of fans posting heartbroken and crying emojis in response.
Fans pointed out how One Direction’s rise to fame in the early 2010s came just as the Jonas Brothers originally split up, meaning for many the two boybands are intrinsically linked.
The Sucker hitmakers did not pay tribute to Payne when the news of his death initially broke so this performance is the first time they have addressed the loss.
Authorities have been investigating the circumstances around his death, and nearly one month on, three suspects have been arrested.
They are under formal investigation over Payne’s death, with one of them being an unnamed ‘friend’ while the other two are hotel workers.
On Thursday, Argentina’s public prosecutor released a statement to confirm the three had been formally charged with ‘abandonment of a person followed by death, supply, and facilitation of narcotics’.
They said the crimes were punishable by a prison sentence of up to 15 years on conviction.
Payne’s bandmates Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan all shared personal tributes to the Strip That Down singer.
Also in a joint statement shared to their dormant social media accounts (One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2015), the group wrote: ‘We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing.’
They added: ‘The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.’
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