The tragic death of the former band member of One Direction Liam Payne caused One Direction fans to go into a frenzy. The death of a huge celebrity is always hard, but when it comes to a boy band member, it’s 10x harder. Payne was found on October 16th, 2024. He had many drugs in his system like cocaine, benzodiazepine, and pink cocaine (a mix of many different drugs). He fell off the third floor of a Buenos Aires hotel.
There have been multiple conspiracy theories. One theory is Beyoncé, or someone Beyoncé hired, pushed him, because she was seen at the hotel two days earlier. Another is that he jumped due to the influence of drugs, making feelings of depression arise. Now there is reportedly footage “which has not been released to the public, reportedly shows the singer falling after he “fainted” on the third-floor balcony”. Currently, no one knows for sure what has happened, but suicide is currently the most widely accepted cause of death.
The One Direction fandom was one of the biggest fandoms in history. According to Wikipedia, “as of 2020 the band had sold a total of 70 million records worldwide.” The fandom mostly contained 12–17-year-olds because of the band members’ good looks and good songs. The band member Zayn Malik left the band in March 2015, then the band shortly after broke up in 2016 so the boys could pursue their own careers. The “Directioners” (their fans) were completely devastated by the breakup. They begged and begged for them to get back together, but it didn’t happen.
Hearing that they weren’t going to get back together, there was a heartfelt feeling to see the new Instagram post that is a remembrance of Liam. In the end of the post it says “We love you Liam. Louis, Zayne, Niall, and Henry.” The only other time that they posted after their breakup was their 10-year anniversary, so seeing them post again with all of their names, including Zayne’s, was bittersweet. With 14 million likes on that one post, it is obvious that many fans care. Variety, a news reporting website, states “Following Liam Payne’s death on Oct. 16, One Direction ‘s music has seen a significant surge on the charts, with all five of the group’s albums returning to the Billboard 200.” After Liam Payne’s death, “Night Changes” hit number 21 on the Top 100 Billboard due to the message behind the song, talking about seizing the moment and living to the fullest.
The effect of Liam’s passing really is affecting people. Although students in Harrison High School probably know who One Direction is, they are probably not that much affected by the news of the death. Many young adults have been posting about the death and showing they care by having a ceremony at the place of his death.
Death is always sad, but when it is a beloved star from a popular boy band it makes the grief much heavier.
