Current:Home > MyLiam Payne's death devastates Gen Z – even those who weren't One Direction fans -ProfitPioneers Hub
Liam Payne's death devastates Gen Z – even those who weren't One Direction fans
View
Date:2025-04-18 05:57:37
We watched as they auditioned on "X Factor," became a boy band, released chart-topping songs and overtook stadiums worldwide. For Gen Z and millennials who grew up alongside the British boyband One Direction, the death of singer Liam Payne is especially devastating.
Even for those who were not "Directioners," Payne's death comes as an overwhelming shock, and for Gen Z, it feels like the first major collective loss for our generation.
People have flocked to social media to share their grief.
"I actually am in shock and had to pause mid work meeting to not cry," one fan wrote. "Wow. 12 year old me is shattered into a million pieces."
Another tweeted: "I feel like most of us are so shocked over liam payne's death (because) that man once was part of something our 13 year old selfs could never imagine living without. like why am i actually speechless right now."
What is 'collective grief'?
Celebrity deaths can feel personal, even if you never met the person. And while grief is different for everyone, experts say collective or public grief is a valid experience and can be exacerbated when the death of a public figure is learned unexpectedly in the news or on social media.
"When people experience sudden loss, they may feel shocked, disbelief, confused, and even in denial," Shavonne Moore-Lobban, licensed psychologist, previously told USA TODAY. "The suddenness of the loss may be too much to process and feel too unreal for a person to immediately grasp."
Many people also experience parasocial relationships with celebrities, a phenomenon frequently associated with fan culture, which can make a public figure's death feel even more real.
Liam Payne:One Direction band member, dies at 31
One Direction blew up during the rise of social media and was one of the first bands that fans had constant access to, making the five boys feel like a part of their lives. Fans could rewatch an interview on YouTube countless times or deep-dive into their tweets, spending hours "with" and obsessing over Payne and his bandmates.
Charlie Puth, Zeddand more pay tribute to Liam Payne: 'I am in shock right now'
"It's a fascinating thing that people don't realize we really can grieve people we didn't know," David Kessler, grief expert and founder of Grief.com, previously told USA TODAY. "And it doesn't mean we're going to grieve them like our spouse or mother, father, or sister or child, but we will grieve them."
Liam Payne was openabout addiction. What he told USA TODAY about alcohol, One Direction
If you are struggling with feelings of sadness, confusion or grief, help is available. Call or text 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HELLO to 741-741.
This story was updated to add a video.
veryGood! (78)
Related
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Duke's Kyle Filipowski injured in court storming after Wake Forest upset: 'Needs to stop'
- Shane Gillis struggles in a 'Saturday Night Live' monologue which avoids the obvious
- When will Shohei Ohtani make his Dodgers debut? Time, date, TV info for Ohtani first start
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Brie Larson Looks Marvelous in Sexy Ab-Baring Look at the 2024 SAG Awards
- Brooklyn preacher goes on trial for fraud charges prosecutors say fueled lavish lifestyle
- What killed Flaco the owl? New York zoologists testing for toxins, disease as contributing factors
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Jen Pawol becomes the first woman to umpire a spring training game since 2007
Ranking
- 'Stranger Things' prequel 'The First Shadow' is headed to Broadway
- South Carolina primary exit polls for the 2024 GOP election: What voters said as they cast their ballots
- How Jason Sudeikis Reacted After Losing 2024 SAG Award to Jeremy Allen White
- 'Where Is Wendy Williams?': The biggest bombshells from Lifetime's documentary
- Tony Hawk drops in on Paris skateboarding and pushes for more styles of sport in LA 2028
- Suspect arrested in murder of student on Kentucky college campus
- Powerball winning numbers for Feb. 24 drawing: Jackpot rises to over $370 million
- 2024 SAG Awards: See All The Couples Taking in the Lights, Cameras and Action Together
Recommendation
How breaking emerged from battles in the burning Bronx to the Paris Olympics stage
Everybody Wants to See This Devil Wears Prada Reunion at the 2024 SAG Awards
Must-Have Plant Accessories for Every Kind of Plant Parent
How Jason Sudeikis Reacted After Losing 2024 SAG Award to Jeremy Allen White
$1 Frostys: Wendy's celebrates end of summer with sweet deal
Sarah Michelle Gellar Supports Shannen Doherty Amid Charmed Drama
Death toll rises to 10 after deadly fire in Spain's southern city of Valencia, authorities say
Star Trek Actor Kenneth Mitchell Dead at 49