On Wednesday, October 16, my friend wrote to me, "Did you see that Liam Payne died?".

This phrase is an image that more than one person can see themselves reflected in. Regardless of how you found out, the date of the death of the former member of One Direction marked a milestone for the generation that grew up listening to his music.

Since the existence of humans, mourning has been part of them; and over time, it has become known that there are different types of mourning and tools have been devised to cope with it. Usually, this experience happens due to the physical departure of someone with whom you have shared, but What happens when it involves a person you never met?

Princess Diana, Gustavo Cerati, Matthew Perry, Cameron Boyce, Canserbero, are some deaths (in contemporary times) that have impacted a good part of the population. They were celebrities of global reach whose death (just like Payne's departure) left a question open for debate: Isn't it exaggerated to feel this way about a famous person?

What is a parasocial relationship?

Nahum Montagud Rubio, in his article "Parasocial Relationships: What They Are and What Their Causes Are" defines them as: false relationships that develop towards any media character, whether real or fictional, that is perceived as if it were a person close to us. We come to identify with them or have some kind of feeling towards that person.

This concept has existed since 1956, when Donald Horton and Richard Wohl talked about the existence of a one-sided relationship in which the person (audience) creates a connection and perception in which the sender does not participate.

For Rubio, the duration of this relationship is indefinite and can persist as long as the content in which such character appears lasts. Its end usually occurs when the same character is no longer seen. The death of this figure, as a natural consequence, represents an emotional break.

Crying for a celebrity (according to psychology)

For Agustina Smith, an Argentine psychologist, the death of a public figure reminds us of our own mortality. On her Instagram (@psicodepelicula), she explains that this bond is created due to the support that the person felt during a period of their life. The loss of this creates the "absence due to identification". The mental health specialist describes that this mourning process occurs both individually (as past personal losses may be activated) and collectively.

The community & the death

Smith points out that the departure of these figures makes us think about something that our brains cannot comprehend: the end of life. The death of public figures creates a collective experience among groups of friends, fans, and on social media; initiating a conversation about this unknown concept. She notes that this is not something pathological (although it can become maladaptive), emphasizing that it is normal to mourn these individuals due to the approach to mortality and the ideals created around it.

Is it the first generational mourning of Gen Z?

One Direction was one of the biggest bands of the 2010s. During their active years, they had a large fanbase, especially made up of girls and teenagers who formed both friendships and memories thanks to their music. Currently, this audience has grown and is now in adulthood, understanding feelings like nostalgia and experiencing their own mourning. The departure of Liam may represent a farewell to those moments as well as the possibility of a reunion of the band that accompanied them during that time.

Quoting Agustina Smith again, in her reels commenting on Liam Payne's death: His death doesn’t free him from what he had to face, but I understand if a fan cries today and approaches with a candle. They are not saying goodbye to a violent person, but rather to their ideal.