In defence of Mourning celebrities: in memory of Liam payne
By Rebecca Sobrevilla
It’s Okay to Mourn Celebrity Figures
It is always a devastating feeling to hear the news that someone you loved has passed. While most people view grief as something that exclusively happens due to the death of a family member or friend, the same emotions can arise from the passing of a celebrity figure.
Recently, the world was sent into a state of shock over the devastating and tragic loss of One Direction member Liam Payne. At only 31 years old, Liam leaves behind an impressive legacy through his artistry and the impact he has made on so many individuals' lives, which is evident in all the love and support he has received during his life and after. Tributes from fans and other celebrities started to pour in immediately after the news broke. The day following Liam’s passing, fans shattered One Direction’s streaming record with 57.5 million streams worldwide in a single day.
Although Liam is the most recent example at such a large scale, mourning the loss of a celebrity isn’t a new phenomenon. Whether it be a natural or tragic, sudden passing, there have been countless household names whose deaths have left a heavy impact on the world, such as Michael Jackson, Selena, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury. When it comes to mourning the loss of these icons, there is always a group of cynics that emerges who poke fun at grieving fans. But, why? Fans should never feel ashamed for mourning the loss of someone they looked up to. It is a completely normal and valid response. This raises the question of why do fans grieve the losses of these celebrity figures?
Why Fans Grieve the Loss of Celebrities
Because of a celebrity's ability to influence and impact others with their talents, a lot of individuals look up to them as inspirations and a form of comfort. Although people don’t know celebrities personally, fans create an emotional connection to these individuals. This can be viewed as the formation of a parasocial relationship. Parasocial relationships are defined as “one-sided relationships, where one person extends emotional energy, interest and time, and the other party, the persona, is completely unaware of the other's existence.” While these relationships have typically received negative connotations, there are several positive outcomes that outweigh the harmful factors. Sometimes, people lack a support system in their life and feel alone. This often makes it easier for an individual to turn to a celebrity figure as a form of comfort and familiarity. Due to this, personal identities can be formed around said celebrity or fandom, which further creates strong feelings revolving around them.
Having shared experiences with others because of a famous icon can also be a reason for mourning. Especially if you have been a fan of this individual for a long period of time, you may have created lasting friendships and memories because of them. This intertwines with the existing nostalgia and evokes a collective sense of loss and grief among family, friends and others apart from these fandoms. A secondary layer to this is mourning the loss of their contribution to our entertainment and interests. This means no more projects or social presence from this individual which can immensely affect a longtime fan and society. Once emotional attachments like these are created, it makes losing these individuals that much harder. Not only are you mourning the loss of their life, but also the impact and contributions they made to yourself and the world.
Aside from the parasocial and shared experience factors, mourning a celebrity death can also be linked to other personal memories and other pre-existing forms of grief. These losses can also act as brutal reminders that life is too short. This leads to reflecting on one’s personal life, loved ones and morality. It is truly eye-opening and can cause further upsetting feelings.
Personal Feelings and Mourning
As a fan of many different artists and projects, there have been several celebrity deaths that really stuck with me. Chadwick Boseman, Naya Rivera and Cameron Boyce are some of many examples. However, no celebrity loss has impacted me the way Liam Payne’s has. Personally, Liam’s passing marks the end of an era in my own life. This tragedy has evoked a lot of complex emotions. While I may not have agreed with the person he became in his remaining years, I cannot neglect the way he played a vital role in my childhood and upbringing.
To this day, One Direction remains to be a huge impact on my life. As cliché as it sounds, this band and its members have lifted me through tough times and are the reason for so many of the friendships and incredible memories I have to this day. I never envisioned that I would be witnessing the loss of one of its members so early in my life, let alone so early in his life. Ever since Liam’s passing, it has been incredibly painful to listen to their music or engage with anything that revolves around them. The feelings of happiness and nostalgia I had once attached to this band have now been colored in sadness. As much as I try to forget what occurred, I am constantly reminded of the horrible events as everything in my life is a constant reminder of them (my blankets, the posters on my wall, my key lanyard, the stickers on my computer, etc.).
As someone who never had the opportunity to see One Direction live, I always fantasized about the day I could see them reunite. My family and I would have lengthy discussions on the possibility and what it would look like. Knowing this will never fully happen because of something so tragic adds another layer of heartbreak that I didn’t even know was possible. Even seeing the official One Direction account post again was something I thought I would never see. At least not for that reason. To worsen the blow of this situation, Liam was going to be the only member I hadn’t seen perform live and now I’ll never get the chance to. I’ll forever be stuck with only having seen ⅘ members.
As my identity has been completely tied to this band, I’ve never had so many people reach out to me until this tragedy occurred. You would think it was a personal family member of mine and, honestly, that’s exactly how it feels sometimes. It’s an interesting experience having to grieve someone I didn’t know personally. Having the shared support and feelings with a community of individuals who have the same love for Liam and One Direction has made healing this loss an easier process. No matter how I and millions of others feel about his passing, the worst part of this is knowing that it could have been prevented.
Conclusion
Celebrity deaths have just as much of an impact as any other passing does. Just because we may not know them personally, doesn’t mean they haven’t become a part of our lives. While everyone grieves differently, no one should be shamed for who they are mourning for. My love goes out to all the fans, friends and family members of Liam Payne and any other losses people endure on the daily.
