Yesterday, Liam Payne died at the age of 31 after a sudden fall off a three-story balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His death has left fans and the world devastated. The news of his passing has been a huge topic and there are many speculations on the reason he died.
“I was pretty sad that he died,” sophomore Alexandra Herrmann said. “It caught me off guard, especially after hearing rumors of a One Direction reunion,”
Payne rose to fame through his talent in the British boyband, One Direction. Until their disbandment in 2016, the group consisted of vocalists and songwriters Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik, and they released chart-topping songs and had millions of fans.
“As a musician, I know a lot of people love One Direction’s music because of their message,” librarian Nathan Crowe said. “Their music is an outgrowth of boy band pop and was really popular for good reason, especially during the 2010’s,”
After One Direction split up, each member branched off to start their own careers as solo musicians. One of Payne’s most popular solo songs was “Strip Me Down,” which has amassed over 1 billion streams on Spotify since its release.
Fans have been anticipating that One Direction would make a long-awaited reunion soon, despite the fact they have not played together since 2016. Sadly, this dream feels even more distant after Payne’s death. Though the news came as a shock to fans and fellow musicians alike, it is even more devastating for One Direction. Shortly after Payne’s death, they posted a heartfelt statement saying how much they will mourn him and how this is a ‘loss of a brother.’
“I was really upset and devastated when I heard about the passing of Liam Payne,” freshman Yosan Yosef said. “He was a great addition to the band and I know many who were big fans of him. As a kid, One Direction was my favorite band and my cousin and I would play it in the car all the time,”
In the past, Payne had been vocal about struggling with alcoholism due to the pressure of fame, and it is speculated that the fall was a result of his substance abuse. There were substances found in his room and most of his room was trashed according to Billboard.
“I hope the other members of One Direction can recover from Liam’s death,” Herrmann said. “I love their music and support their own individual careers, so I hope they can all overcome this tragedy.”
