I grew up loving One Direction. My childhood best friend and I danced around her room listening to “Midnight Memories” on her Disney Princess CD player. We went to the “Where We Are” tour together in 2014. I loved Louis and she loved Harry. It was something we bonded over. Even our moms loved the band; we dragged them to the concert and made them turn up the radio anytime their songs came on. As odd as it may sound, One Direction began my love for boy bands and music as a whole. 

Upon hearing the news of Liam Payne’s death on Oct. 16, I immediately texted my mom. And then I proceeded to tell just about anyone I saw. I was so stricken by the news I don’t think I knew how to react. Sure, plenty of celebrities have died but none that had impacted such a significant part of my life. I opened Google to determine if the news of his death was true, let out a sigh, and watched the revival of the Directioners fandom in real time. 

The media’s reaction to his death was nothing close to a surprise. Directioners are notorious for their obsession with the band even after their split in 2016, extensively following and supporting each member in their solo careers. I will say the revival of fan Twitter is refreshing—people from all over the world coming together to reminisce on moments from over a decade ago. It’s comforting to know that people on the Internet can still connect and appreciate each other online even if it is over terrible news.

What I love about living during the Internet age is that upon the death of a beloved singer, especially of an internationally famous boy band, you are met with thousands of memes. 

Scrolling through various social media feeds, there are the dark humor posts of “never getting a reunion” or “the band will never be the same.” I still have TikTok downloaded for this reason—the entertainment value of pop culture. Using Payne’s song, “Strip That Down” there are plenty of fan-made edits—both serious and satirical—and videos of Payne dancing. 

I have yet to listen to either Payne or One Direction’s music after the news. I think it would break me to hear any of their songs. But to leave you a line from their song, “Don’t Forget Where You Belong,” One Direction says, “If you ever feel alone, don’t.”