Elementary school sleepovers in the 2010s always consisted of four things: painting everyone’s nails, orbeez spa, hide and seek, and most notably a dance party to everyone’s favorite boy band, One Direction.
On Oct. 16, Liam Payne, a member of the former band One Direction, fell off his hotel balcony and passed away. Payne had been in Argentina since earlier in October and attended former bandmate Niall Horan’s concert.
One Direction skyrocketed to fame in the 2010s, playing world tours which had a total attendance of over 3 million people and many famous venues such as Madison Square Garden.
“I think they captured how it is being a teenager, and that resonated with their audience,” senior Katie Brooks said.
While the One Direction fanbase may seem long gone, after the band’s indefinite hiatus in 2016, many fans still owe much to the band.
“This loss has brought us (One Direction fans) even closer together, to remind ourselves and the world we are still here,” said junior Nicolle Robinson, a longtime fan of the band.
Tragedies such as this have occurred before, affecting a worldwide fanbase. When John Lennon was murdered, global grief ensued and fans came together to grieve the artist.
The entire world, musical artists, actors and celebrities in general have reacted with shocked response, no one really believing it had happened.
“My heart dropped. I refused to believe it was real, I didn’t want to believe it,”Robinson said.
After the band’s hiatus, Payne fell down a dark path. He had been open with his struggles with mental health and addiction. He had used alcohol to cope with the stress of being in One Direction.
“It’s difficult when you have the level of fame that we had in the band,” Payne said to Men’s Health Australia.
After the band’s hiatus, Payne pursued a solo career. His debut solo “Strip That Down” reached number 10 on the Billboard Top 100, and during the first three years of his solo career, Payne sold over 18 million singles, 2.4 million albums, and amassed 3.9 billion streams.
Payne is survived by his parents, Karen and Geoff Payne, older sisters Nicola and Ruth and his son, Bear.
He will be forever remembered for his role in the biggest boy band of the modern day. Despite One Direction not releasing music in nearly 10 years, fans will always adore them for the huge impact they had.