Liam Payne Honored With Heartfelt Brit Awards Tribute: ‘He Achieved So Much in the Short Time That He Was on This Earth’

variety.com:

Brit Awards featured an emotional tribute to One Direction‘s Liam Payne, the late chart-topping Brits winner that died at age 31 in October.

Towards the end of the ceremony on Saturday night, host Jack Whitehall told the crowd it was time to honor “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,” Whitehall continued. “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, look back and remember the remarkable Liam Payne.” A video montage then played, including footage of Payne on tour with One Direction and with his family, soundtracked to One Direction’s “Little Things.” After the tribute aired, Payne’s 1D bandmate Louis Tomlinson wrote on X that it was “beautiful,” adding: “Miss you always brother.” Whitehall, a friend of Payne’s, teased a tribute to the late “What Makes You Beautiful Singer” on the Australian radio show, “Fifi, Fev and Nick,” saying “[Liam] was a big part of [The Brit Awards]… when I was at the Brits, he was always so game and up for it.

And we had a really fun time with him there, when he was there with Cheryl [Cole].” As a member of One Direction, Payne won seven Brit Awards, including four wins in the British video of the year category.