5 Seconds of Summer frontman Luke Hemmings will never forget his friendship with the late Liam Payne.
“I want to dedicate this last song to an old friend, Liam Payne,” Hemmings, 28, said during his set at the Corona Capital festival in Mexico City on Saturday, November 16, per social media footage. “I wouldn’t be here without him.”
He added, “Sing your hearts out, thank you very much. Mexico City, we love you, alright.”
Hemmings then launched into an emotional rendition of his solo track “Starting Line.”
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Hemmings’ bond with Payne, who died last month at age 31, goes back to 2013. At the time, Payne’s One Direction band enlisted 5 Seconds of Summer to open for their Take Me Home Tour across the United States.
Payne was one-fifth of 1D, alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. Hemmings, in addition to his solo music, performs in 5SOS with bandmates Ashton Irwin, Michael Clifford and Calum Hood.
Us Weekly confirmed on October 16 that Payne suffered a fatal fall from a third-story hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An autopsy confirmed that the “Teardrops” singer died from “multiple injuries involving ‘internal and external hemorrhage’” and had various drugs in his system.
The 5SOS performers were among the stars to pay tribute to Payne’s passing.
“We are heartbroken. We love you, Liam, and we will never forget the influence you had on our lives,” the Australian rock band wrote in a social media tribute. “You truly believed in us and for that we are forever grateful. We don’t know if we thanked you enough.”
They added, “There was such a bright light in you, we always saw that. We are sad, devastated that this world put that light out. We hope you’ll always be singing up there.”
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Payne is survived by his parents, his two older sisters and his 7-year-old son, whom he shared with ex Cheryl Cole.
“We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” his family said in a statement last month. “We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
Three weeks after Payne’s death, his remains were flown back to his native U.K. upon the conclusion of an investigation. Payne’s loved ones will have a chance to say their goodbyes and pay their final respects in a funeral service, of which details have not been publicly shared.
