Most people know Liam Payne from the boy group One Direction which disbanded at the beginning for 2016 to allow the members to pursue other projects. Fans of this group received heart-breaking news Oct. 17, that Payne had passed away Oct. 16, after falling from his hotel room balcony.
Senior Alex Tatroe said, “Their first song was made in 2011. I was told that I had always loved One Direction. I wasn’t crazy obsessed but when asked what I wanted to listen to, it was always ‘What Makes You Beautiful’. My poor mother probably hated that song! Hearing about Liam’s death was a fever dream. It didn’t feel real to me, as if I was going to be told it was a hoax.” Tatroe added, “I know a lot of the fans have been setting up their own personal graves and shrines to pay tribute to the late star. Niall Horan was my favorite of the band, but even so, the news of Liam Payne is heartbreaking. I had heard about it when I was scrolling through TikTok. I hope his friends and family have the ability to grieve in peace.”
Other fans of the boy group don’t know how to cope with the feeling of losing one of the boys from their favorite band. Sophomore Aaliyah Velazco has been a fan of One Direction for as long as she can remember and found out about his death the day that it happened during school. “I didn’t fully believe it until I got home and did more research and I was devastated when I found out that it was true. As soon as I heard the news, I was so sad and I called my cousin who is also a fan of One Direction, and we just talked about the whole situation for three hours,” said Velazco.
Velazco added, “I don’t just have one favorite memory of the band but most of my favorite moments are whenever they change their lyrics slightly when they sing it live or show how close they were. I always thought it was funny and it showed that they were more than just a band. I really do think this will affect the fans of the band heavily because there was always the hope that they would all be together again. I don’t think it will affect the fans as much as the band members themselves because they were all so close.”
Fans of One Direction have always said they hope that one day the members of the band would reunite and become one again, but after the death of their best friend who they have said, “is like a brother to them,” fans are now unsure if their request of the reunion will come true.
