As a member of the massively popular UK boy band, Payne achieved a very rare level of global fame, but faced addiction struggles that he spoke about publicly following the band's breakup. His last single, "Teardrops," released in March, left fans speculating about his mental health. Just days before his death, Payne had received a cease-and-desist order from his ex-fianceé Maya Henry.

The premature death of any public figure is a collectively mourned tragedy, but when a large and devoted fandom faces this kind of loss, the ripple effects can be intense. Often, fans in this situation are met with what psychologists term disenfranchised loss -- when there's a lack of community support system for this grief because the "loss" of a celebrity or an intense parasocial relationship isn't one that society tends to recognize as real or legitimate.