Elena and Vanessa Robustelli love One Direction, and even eight years after the group split, their songs still appear on their annual Spotify rap list .
But after news broke on Wednesday that band member Liam Payne had died at the age of 31, the twin sisters, 25, said the music they normally listen to for comfort became a source of sadness.
“It’s really tough,” said New York City resident Vanessa Robustelli. “What do you do with your grief when you don’t know someone and you have a really dull pain in your chest?”
Payne’s death came as a shock to the thousands of One Direction fans known as the Directioners. They never expected to lose their idol at such a young age. Local authorities said Payne fell from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina.
Many of One Direction’s fans were teenagers or teenagers when the band began gaining popularity in the early 2010s after appearing on British reality show The X Factor.
For them, Payne’s death was a “turning point”, a moment that reminded them of their youth and suddenly made them feel like adults.
Valérie Bouvat de Virginie, 25, who lives in Madrid, said: “I don’t know if I necessarily feel sad for Liam as a person, but more importantly, I don’t know what this means to my generation.” No,” he said. “This just seems like a watershed moment, a turning point. … It’s scary to think about the concept of death, and to think that I’ve spent almost half my life loving this band. It’s crazy.”
As news of Payne’s death spread online, One Direction-specific group chats and fan accounts, some of which had been inactive for years, became active again.
“I missed over 200 text messages and I was frozen,” said Olivia Hagans, 25, of New York City. “I didn’t even know what to say. I was really shocked and I cried a little last night because I felt sad for my teenage self.”
Payne’s death also stirred emotions about the legacy he left behind. Some say the band has helped them pursue careers in the music industry, social media, or other creative fields. Some said they met their best friends because of their shared love for the group.
Some directors have compared Payne’s death to that of John Lennon for Beatles fans, citing similarities in the band’s enthusiasm and enthusiastic support from supporters.
Logan Hill, 27, said the fan community is “the most important thing” that comes from the band’s existence.
I don’t know if I necessarily grieve for Liam as a person, but more importantly, I don’t know what this means to my generation.
-Buvat de Virginie, 25-year-old One Direction fan from madrid
One Direction fans are considered some of the founders of modern stan Twitter, a community of X fandom that began organizing in the early 2010s. Directioners used to use this platform to interact with bands, get trends online, and organize as fans.
“I’m currently traveling around the country going to concerts with people I met on Twitter,” Hill said. “Thanks to them, I got to know people from all over the world.”
But some fans shared more mixed feelings about Payne, saying it was difficult to feel sad for him given recent allegations about his personal life.
In the days before Payne’s death, Payne’s ex-fiancée, Maya Henry, claimed that she had been in repeated contact with Payne and his relatives. “Since we broke up, he’s been sending me messages and trying to blow up my phone. It’s not just from his phone. It’s always coming from a different number so I have no idea where it’s coming from,” she said. said in an Oct. 6 TikTok video.
The Daily Mail spoke to her lawyer who said Ms Henry had issued Ms Payne a suspension letter. Her attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Henry, 23, whose relationship with Payne ended in 2022, wrote a novel called Looking Forward about a girl who falls in love with an attractive pop star. This book contains a content warning because it deals with abortion, abuse, violence, self-harm, substance abuse, and eating disorders. She said the piece was “inspired by real events.”
A representative for Mr. Henry declined to comment.
Amy Miller, 27, said the community gave each other a “safe space” to process the positive and negative emotions surrounding Payne’s death, and the scrutiny Payne experienced before that. He said that it has been done.
As fans and band members grew together, Miller said it became more apparent that the group members were very young.
Mr Miller, who lives in London, said: “I have had plenty of time to turn things around, get the support I need and take responsibility.”
Many said it was bittersweet to see the online direction community come together for the first time in years for such devastating news.
“You’re mourning that person in the same space you were obsessing over that person, tweeting about that person consistently, wanting their attention, and all your energy goes into loving that person online.” “I poured it,” said Niella Graham, 26. , lives in New York City. “It’s now a strange experience to use the same forum to express our grief.”
