Zayn Malik’s heartbroken fans cry in the street as enigmatic One Direction star reveals why he cancelled Newcastle gig at the last minute – leaving young ticket-holders devastated

There were tearful scenes in Newcastle on Tuesday night after Zayn Malik canceled his final show at the last minute, leaving fans with tickets devastated.

The former One Direction singer is back in the UK with his Stairway To The Stars tour, a series of 18 days of live shows and his first tour since leaving the boyband in 2015.

But fans were left crying in the streets after 31-year-old Zayn canceled his eighth show at Newcastle’s O2 City Hall at short notice.

Enthusiastic ticket holders had traveled to the venue hoping to see the enigmatic singer – who rarely promotes his solo material – take the stage.

Instead, they were told the show would not go ahead after Zayn had a last-minute problem with his voice.

Heartbroken fans were seen hugging each other outside the venue, with many reduced to tears when they discovered the show had been cancelled.

As fans – including many teenagers – waited in the venue for the singer, staff revealed the show would ‘no longer go ahead’.

The announcement said: ‘We apologize for the late announcement, it was his hope that he would be able to continue with the show.

‘But this is no longer possible. Please contact your point of purchase for rescheduling or refund.

“If you have parents or guardians picking you up, please remain in the venue and wait to be picked up.”

Zayn took to his Stories on Tuesday night and wrote: ‘I’m so sorry to have to do this but my voice isn’t there at all tonight and without a voice there’s no show.

“I’m really sorry to let you down, especially on such short notice… I held on to hope until the very last moment. I have high hopes that tonight, with some rest, I will be back on the podium tomorrow. My deepest apologies Newcastle. I love you all.”

The star has been on his Stairway to the Sky Tour, where fans have seen him perform in cities including London, Manchester, Leeds and Wolverhampton. He will finish in Edinburgh in a few days.

Last week, Zayn paid tribute to Liam Payne on stage during the tour in Wolverhampton, the hometown of his former One Direction bandmate, he says he “hopes” the late star sees his performance.

He kicked off his Stairway To The Sky tour at the O2 Academy in Leeds last week with an onstage message: ‘Liam Payne 1993-2024. I love you bro’ with a pink heart.

However, he does not appear to have spoken directly about Payne, who died in Argentina last month at the age of 31, during the tour.

According to videos on social media, Zayn told University of Wolverhampton venue The Halls: ‘I’ve been doing something every night at the end of the show and it’s dedicated to my brother Liam Payne. Rest in peace’.

‘I hope you see this. We’re in your hometown, Wolverhampton, tonight, this is for you, Liam.’

Zayn moved the original opening dates of his tour in Edinburgh due to Payne’s funeral, which was also attended by his fellow One Direction stars Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan.

Payne died on October 16 from multiple traumas and “internal and external bleeding” after falling from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires

He left One Direction in 2015 before the group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016, with the members all pursuing their own solo careers.

Following Payne’s death, Zayn said he “never had to thank” his fellow bandmate for supporting him through some of the “hardest” times of his life.

‘I lost a brother when you left us and I can’t explain to you what I would give if I could hug you one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you how much I loved you and respected you,” he added in a statement shared on Instagram.

‘I will forever cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart. ‘There are no words that can justify or explain how I feel right now, other than I’m devastated.

“I hope you are doing well wherever you are, that you are at peace and that you know how loved you are. I love you, brother.”