Zayn Malik has postponed a US tour following the death of Liam Payne

Zayn Malik has postponed the US leg of his upcoming tour following the “heartbreaking loss” of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.

Payne, 31, died after falling from the hotel's third floor balcony Argentina on Wednesday.

Malik is set to kick off the US leg of his tour next week – starting with a show in San Francisco on Wednesday.

However, the singer told fans he was postponing the shows – saying: “In light of the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I have decided to postpone the US leg of the Stairway to the Sky tour.”

The US leg of Malik's tour was scheduled to take in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Washington DC, ending in New York on November 3.

He told fans at X that the dates will be rescheduled for January and tickets will remain valid for the new dates.

“Love you all and thank you for your understanding,” he added.

The 31-year-old did not specify the 11 dates for the UK leg of his tour, which is expected to run from November 20 to December 4.

On Thursday, Malik paid tribute to Payne, saying he would “forever cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart”.

“I lost a brother when you left us and I want to hug you one last time and say goodbye properly and let you know that I love and respect you so much.” .

Payne and Malik rose to global fame as part of boyband One Direction – made into The X Factor TV show in 2010 – and sang together with bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan.

Malik left the group in 2015 to pursue a solo singing career, and the band split in 2016.

Malik's cancellation of the US show comes as Penn's sister, Ruth Gibbins, emotionally described her brother as her “best friend” on Saturday. Instagram postIn which she said the family would “take care” of her son Bear.

“My brain is struggling to catch up with what's going on and I don't understand where you've gone,” he said.

“I'll drive to the ends of the universe to bring you back.”

Meanwhile in Argentina, Payne's father Geoff Payne paid tribute to his son outside the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires on Friday.

As he visited the hotel, he was followed by a group of photographers, who tried to block the entrance to the building to yell at the fans and stop them from entering the hotel.

Geoff Payne went to the morgue in Buenos Aires to officially identify his son. A federal prosecutor previously told the BBC his body had been “exhumed”, meaning no further tests were being carried out and identification was possible.

In an Instagram post on Friday, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl, who was in a relationship with Payne from 2016 to 2018 and shares a son named Bear Him, said she was concerned about having access to “disgusting reports and media exploitation” and that she could not defend from him in the future.

“Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7-year-old son,” she said. “A son who now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”

“I urge you to consider what use some of these reports are making, other than further harming everyone behind picking up the pieces.”

Since Penn's death, fans in the UK have been gathering at vigils.

Saturday afternoon Supporters gathered in Liverpool Pain in memory, lighting candles and laying flowers on the city's waterfront. There is also surveillance In his hometown of Wolverhampton Friday