Former One Direction member Liam Payne tragically died Oct. 16 in Buenos Aires after a fall from his hotel room. The star was 31 years old. Since the news of his death, fans and his former bandmates have come to social media to share their feelings on the tragedy.
Payne was a member of the popular boy band One Direction, along with Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik. The five were the center stage of the 2010s, with their faces and music plastered worldwide during the height of their popularity. Since the end of the band, fans remained loyal as they hoped for a reunion one day.
However, with the news of Payne’s death, the discussion from fans is much different. Associated Press news reports about his death stated, “Payne fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in the trendy Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital, resulting in ‘extremely serious injuries.’”
Payne died of multiple traumas although no reports have stated if the fall was intentional or accidental. Reports from The New York Times stated there were no defensive wounds and no one else was involved in his death.
Payne was in Argentina withhis girlfriend Kate Cassidy, and the couple arrived in Argentina Oct. 2. Payne visited the country to support former band member Horan's performance.
Since his passing, fans all over the world have outpoured their love for Payne. In Buenos Aires, many fans gatheredoutside the hotel he was staying in to sing and mourn. One Direction was a quintessential part of their childhood and with the loss of one of the members, many “Directioners” are left heartbroken and grief-stricken.
For Generation Z, Payne and One Direction were prevalent during the pre-teen years, as the band made up a significant part of many people’s childhoods. The devastation of Payne’s death has united fans together through the grieving process.
Valerie Luvison, a junior studying early childhood education, is a longtime One Direction fan. She said the news of Payne’s death united her and her friends.
“I ended up calling my childhood best friend who I went to the concert with in 2015,” Luvison said. “We were just bonding over, growing up on One Direction together.”
Payne’s former band members have also taken to social media to share heartbreaking tributes to their lost brother. Tomlinson posted a heartfelt caption on Instagram talking about Payne’s character. It read, “I wish I got a chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you.”
Other One Direction bandmates shared similar sentiments. Malik wrote, “Liam, I have found myself talking out loud to you, hoping you can hear me. I can’t help but think selfishly that there was so many more conversations for us to have in our lives.” Since the devastating news, Malik has also postponed the U.S. leg of his upcoming Stairway to the Sky Tour.
Styles wrote about Payne’s character and said, “Liam lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious.”
Horan, the last band member to see him before his passing, also shared an Instagram statement. The star wrote, “I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever.”
Ambria Herring, a junior studying language arts education and English, said the former band members posting about it hit home for her.
“You look at the other four men in One Direction, posting with him, it's really hard to grasp, especially considering it's a lot of our generation's childhood, so it's our first big celebrity death,” Herring said.
Many prayers and thoughts have been sent to his family members, his parents Karen and Geoff and sister Nicola. Payne’s son, Bear, has also been discussed. Tomlinson wrote, “I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the Uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was.”
However, there has also been a breach of privacy with reports about Payne’s death. Due to the star’s vast impact on people’s lives, they are eager to get answers as to what happened.
TMZ, a popular gossip site, posted cropped pictures of Payne’s lifeless body on social media and received backlash. Other news sites, such as ABC and the Washington Post, have shared images of the star's trashed hotel room before his passing. The images have now circulated through social media.
Herring shared her thoughts on how the media is reporting the issue.
“If it wasn't a celebrity, people wouldn't be posting pictures of the hotel room and sharing those intimate details of his life.” Herring said. “I think it's a disrespect to him and what happened. A lot of people are jumping to conclusions as to what happened, which is also really just devastating to hear.”
While fans are taken aback by the news of Payne’s death, it is important to remain respectful to his family and friends. He had a huge impact on the lives of fans across the globe, but also his parents, partner and son.
Mourning the loss of someone so beloved by fans is difficult and the force of the tragedy is felt across the world during this time. Payne will be loved and remembered for a long time to come and will survive in the hearts and lives of all who adored him.
