There were tearful scenes in Newcastle on Tuesday evening after Zayn Malik cancelled his latest show at the last minute - leaving ticket-holding fans devastated.
The former One Direction singer is back in the United Kingdom with his Stairway To The Stars tour, an 18-date series of live shows and his first tour since quitting the boyband in 2015.
But fans were left crying in the street after Zayn, 31, cancelled his eighth show at Newcastle's O2 City Hall at short notice.
Eager ticket-holders had travelled to the venue hoping to see the enigmatic singer - who rarely promotes his solo material - take to the stage.
Instead, they were told the show would not be going ahead after Zayn suffered a last minute issue with his voice.
Heartbroken fans were seen embracing one another outside the venue, with many in floods of tears upon discovering the show had been cancelled.
As fans - many of them teenagers - waited at the venue for the singer, staff revealed that the show would 'no longer go ahead.'
The announcement said: 'We apologise for the late notice, 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 reschedule or refunds.
'If you have parents or guardians collecting you, please stay in the auditorium and wait to be collected.'
Zayn then took to his Stories on Tuesday night and penned: 'I'm so sorry to do this but my voice just isn't there at all tonight and without it there's no show.
'I'm truly sorry to let you down, especially at such short notice... I held onto hope until the very last moment. I'm hopeful with some rest tonight I'll be back on stage tomorrow. My deepest apologies Newcastle. Love you all.'
The star has been on his Stairway to the Sky Tour, where fans have seen him perform in cities such as London, Manchester, Leeds, Wolverhampton. He is due to wrap up in Edinburgh in just a number of days.
Last week on the tour Zayn paid tribute on stage to Liam Payne in his former One Direction bandmate's hometown of Wolverhampton, saying he 'hopes' the late star sees his gig.
He kicked off his Stairway To The Sky tour in Leeds's O2 Academy last week, with an on-stage message which read: 'Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro' with a pink heart.
However, he has not appeared to directly speak about Payne, who died aged 31 in Argentina last month, during the tour.
According to social media videos, Zayn told the University of Wolverhampton venue The Halls venue: 'I've been doing something, at the end of the show, every night, and it's been dedicated to my brother Liam Payne. Rest in peace'.
'I hope you're seeing this, we're in your hometown tonight, Wolverhampton, this is for you, Liam.'
Zayn rescheduled his tour's original opening dates 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 of multiple traumas and 'internal and external hemorrhag' 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 indefinite hiatus in 2016, with the members all going on to pursue their own solo careers.
Following the death of Payne, Zayn said he 'never got to thank' his fellow bandmate for supporting him through some of the 'most difficult' times in his life.
'I lost a brother when you left us and can't explain to you what I'd give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly', he added in a statement shared to Instagram.
'I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever. 'There is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated.
'I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are. Love you, bro.'
