Liam Payne's private funeral was held on Wednesday. It was treated like a red carpet.

I woke up this morning to see intimate photos of Liam Payne's private funeral.

As I did my morning scroll, images and videos of Payne's One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson filled my feed.

Close-up images and emotive videos of them arriving at the service, playing on repeat on the social media accounts of some of the biggest and most respected media brands in the world. 

"Liam Payne's band mates spotted at his funeral," headlines announced, with zoomed in images of his friends crying. It was declared a "One Direction reunion."

His former partner and the mother of his child, Cheryl Cole, was on the front page of The Daily Mail. Photos of his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, were run alongside headlines that detailed her heartbreak. Photos of his coffin were published.

I didn't go searching for this content. In fact, I actively wanted to avoid it for the obvious sense of dread I was feeling upon seeing it.

But the point is, I shouldn't have seen these images in the first place. I had no right to that moment.

This is not a meet and greet. It's not a fan event. It's certainly not a red carpet or an awards show. It's not a One Direction reunion.

It was a funeral. A private funeral, at that. This was not a public service, meant to be celebrated by any and all.

Liam Payne's death was a tragic and shocking blow to those who loved him. He leaves behind a complicated legacy, that has been discussed and evaluated at length, as fans come to terms with the loss.

But his funeral was a time for his friends and family to grieve the man they knew in private, after they experienced his sudden death in such a public way. 

We did not know Liam Payne, not really. They did. And they deserved the chance to grieve away from prying eyes.

Liam Payne alongside his One Direction bandmates Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson. Image: Getty.

Outrage grew on social media shortly after images first surfaced, as some die-hard fans questioned why a subsect of their fandom had shown up to watch.

"You don't know Liam Payne why are you showing up to his funeral," one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), of those who stood on the side of the road taking pictures.

But the same could be said for the paparazzi and the publications that chose to share these intimate images.

The same could be said for the rest of us. I also looked at that content this morning, even if I didn't seek to. And I'm not the only one perplexed by this indescribable thirst for tragic content.

Some angry commenters have flooded the social media channels of news outlets and fan pages, calling for these invasive images to be removed. They've shared their distaste, which is, in all honesty, hard to put into words.

"Just went past Starbucks and a group of girls were watching Liam Payne's funeral like a Champions League final," one person wrote on X.

And that about sums up the frenzied feeling that took over the internet this morning. 

This happens time and time again when beloved stars are lost. It's a selfish and morbid curiosity, paraded under the guise of respect for the fallen. 

But it's not respectful to post TikTok videos of Louis, Niall, Harry and Zayn set to 'sad versions' of their greatest hits. It's weird and highly disrespectful. 

When the four One Direction stars released individual tributes to their late friend Liam following his death in October, fans picked apart their messages and compared them, scrutinising wording and image selections. Now, their photos are circulating online as they say goodbye to him, one last time.

They're not alone.

When Matthew Perry died in 2023, fans eagerly waited for his Friends co-stars to make public statements. Within hours, they flooded the Instagram accounts of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer. They demanded the stars speak out. 

They weren't allowed to grieve their friend or process their emotions in private, it needed to be declared in an Instagram post that 'fans' could engage with. When Perry's funeral was held shortly after, paparazzi shot and sold photographs were shared around the world. Everyone wanted to see the Friends stars reuniting for the worst possible reason.

"Isn't it just so sad to see them like this?"

Payne and Perry's deaths were two of the most high-profile and shocking celebrity deaths in recent times. And both were treated with a furore typically reserved for joyous pop culture moments.

It speaks to a larger conversation surrounding parasocial relationships with celebrities. We joke about these, of course, about our internet crushes and newest infatuations. But the sinister side was on full display at Liam Payne's funeral. 

How much do fans want from their faves? What will be enough, for them? It's the question we've asked as Chappell Roan faces the demands of the industry head on; it's the thing we've wondered while watching Rachel Zegler be attacked time and time again. How much would you like this one famous person to give? What is it, that you think you're owed?

In the years before his passing, Payne was open about his struggles in the spotlight and directly addressed how fame had deteriorated his mental health.

In death, his loved ones are the new targets.

Feature Image: Getty.