Liam Payne‘s funeral took place Wednesday, with his One Direction bandmates in attendance.
The moment was bittersweet for fans of the band, who had been hoping for a reunion since their split in 2016 and Zayn’s exit a year prior. Naturally, the instinctive positive reaction to seeing Harry, Niall, Louis, and Zayn together for the first time in nearly a decade didn’t match the tragic context that provoked it.
As photos of the four men began circulating online, a significant number of people felt compelled to remind those sharing them that Liam’s funeral was not a “reunion” or something to celebrate. So, while half of the fandom cried over the sight of their once favorite boy band reunited, the other half was calling for accounts to delete any post featuring the photographs.
“This is not a f——- reunion; they’re at a funeral. Show some respect,” one person argued. “‘reunion’ – FUNERAL. it’s a funeral,” another agreed.
It’s disgusting to see that not even minutes have passed, and the media already has their headline: “One Direction members reunite for Liam Payne’s funeral.” This is not a fucking reunion; they’re at a funeral. Show some respect.
— Cecilia
(@SmilesHG) November 20, 2024
Many other social media posts reminded those that were treating the situation in any kind of positive light and using them to fuel fandom dreams, that both the musicians and Liam’s family should be entitled to the privacy they need to grieve their friend and relative. Some fans even flocked to the location of the funeral.
“A funeral is a moment for someone’s loved ones to say their last goodbyes to them, it is NOT a red carpet or some other kind of event,” one Liam Payne fan account reasoned. “Showing up uninvited and taking photos in the first place is disgusting and a complete invasion of privacy,” said another.
we all knew this would happen but be reminded that they aren’t attending this funeral as one direction, they’re attending as real, separate people who are equally GRIEVING a very hard loss. disgusting that the word privacy means nothing, even in death.
— cal IS OPEN WIDE ⋆˚｡⋆
(@WHEN1TBREAKS) November 20, 2024
Celebrity funerals are usually broadcast and heavily covered by the press, despite the vulnerability on show. Liam’s was particularly newsworthy given the extraordinary circumstances of his death and, whether this side of One Direction’s fandom likes it or not, the prospect of seeing the band together in the same place again. There’s inherent news value in that.
When Zayn left One Direction in 2015, no one saw it coming. The singer cited his need for privacy and normalcy as the two driving factors for his exit. “I want to be a normal 22-year-old,” he said in a statement. However, it soon became clear that was not the full story when Zayn released his solo debut single not even a year later, announcing it as “real music,” and Louis picked up a public fight with his producer months after that.
There’s a lot of history both separating and uniting the five members of One Direction. Liam, who was one of the few members to stay in touch with Zayn after his exit, had himself said he had his reasons to “dislike” him but would “always be on his side,” during his infamous appearance on Logan Paul’s podcast. Zayn then reportedly reached out to his former bandmate when he entered rehab, prompting Liam to apologize to him publicly. They had been mending their friendship when the 31-year-old died from a balcony fall in October.
“Even though we butted heads because of [Liam’s ‘headstrong, opinionated,’ attitude] a few time, I always secretly respected [him] for it,” Zayn wrote in a eulogizing social media post following his friend’s passing.
Liam’s funeral was also attended by his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, his son Bear’s mother and fellow pop star Cheryl, her Girls Aloud bandmates Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh, One Direction’s label chief Simon Cowell, and television presenter and friend James Corden. It took place at St. Mary’s Church in the town of Amersham in Northwest London.
