By Iya Mendoza
One Direction songs echoed through the air at Major’s Hill Park on Nov. 3, as fans gathered to mourn the loss of former boy band member Liam Payne.
Payne passed away in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Oct. 16 due to a fall from a hotel balcony.
Since then, fans around the world have held memorials to grieve Payne’s death, with gatherings in the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil. In Canada, memorials in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
Georgina Lopez and Kathrine Branco-Drouin organized the first memorial in Ottawa, after the memorial they originally planned to attend was cancelled. Lopez, who became a One Direction fan in 2012, says she struggles to find the words to describe the impact the band had on her.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Lopez says. “I just feel like they were a part of my whole childhood and even my teenage years.”
Lopez also says growing up as a One Direction fan helped her whenever she was feeling down.
“They gave us happiness,” she says.
Branco-Drouin, who started supporting the band when they formed in 2010, says One Direction’s music has always been a source of comfort for her.
“When I was sad, when I was depressed, they were there for me,” she says. “Their lyrics really hit me when I was a child.”
Under a large oak tree, fans like Branco-Drouin and Lopez gathered around a large poster, balloons, candles, flowers and photographs, and spent the afternoon singing One Direction songs. They also shared their favourite memories of the band.
Parmis Morshedi, one of the fans who attended the memorial, says her experiences as a One Direction fan are similar to those of Lopez and Branco-Drouin.
“They were a huge part of my childhood,” she says. “We were small kids, everyone was obsessed with them.”
Morshedi also says she has always respected Payne, especially because he helped numerous charities, including Trussell, an anti-poverty charity, and Rays of Sunshine, a charity for sick children in the United Kingdom.
“I have so much respect for him and the others as well,” Morshedi says. “He was just so sweet.”
Photo by Iya Mendoza.
The memorial ended with a release of red balloons into the air, representing the red microphone Payne used during his time in the band.
Lopez says her love for Payne and the other One Direction members has never faded, despite it being nine years since the band last performed together.
“Even when they separated, I said I would never love a boy band as much as them,” she says.
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