When I was a little girl, I remember walking into a Justice store and looking at the big screen where they would play music videos. The video on the screen featured five boys on a beach singing about how a girl is beautiful and she doesn’t even know it. Those boys would later be engraved into my brain as One Direction.
One Direction was a huge party of my childhood, from watching all their music videos, to joining online forums and making friends through our love of the UK boys, to even having a One Direction themed birthday party.
The nostalgia of One Direction makes my heart spin and swell from all my childhood memories and the feeling of peace from having no responsibilities. I haven’t really thought of them as much until recently.
On October 16th 2024, Liam Payne, a member of One Direction passed away. He tragically fell from his third floor balcony.
I could not believe it, I refused to believe it. This was not happening and it was a sick joke that some gossip tabloid was spewing. I kept asking my boyfriend if he was sure it was THE Liam Payne. Again and again, I kept asking because there was no way he had passed.
It was like everything had slowed down and there was no way of returning. Then it hit me. Liam Payne had died at the age of 31.
I couldn’t stop wondering about what had happened. He had been candid about his addictions and his mental health but mentioned he was sober. It breaks my heart to know he was suffering.
It breaks my heart even more knowing how cruel the internet had been to him months, even weeks before his death. Trolls poking at him, mocking him, gossiping about how he’s the “least favorite member.” People have no empathy, they just see someone with wealth and status then think it is okay to say cruel and vicious comments because they’re famous.
With social media it’s easy to hide behind a screen and say what you would never say to someone’s face. People forget that celebrities are humans too. Liam Payne was a human with a heart and feelings. He had goals in life like everyone else. Liam was someone’s child, he was someone’s son.
All the bullying and comments affected him. While he had made poor choices in life, it is not acceptable to be rude and vicious. We were told when we were younger, if we didn’t have anything nice then don’t say anything.
It’s upsetting that in his last moments he thought he wasn’t enough. Mental health is important to talk about and we need to start taking it more seriously. It’s important to treat each other with kindness and respect one another.
If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health dial 988 for the national suicide and crisis hotline. You are loved and important, please remember to take care of yourself and remember to be kind on the internet.