Health
Mourning Liam Payne: Celebrity deaths can cause very real grief, experts say
The tragic loss of pop singer Liam Payne has caused a wave of grief among his fanbase.
Payne, 31, one of five members of the British boy band One Direction, died on Wednesday after falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
His death was a shock for fans, who shared countless messages of sorrow and heartbreak on social media and gathered at tributes around the world.
ONE DIRECTION SINGER LIAM PAYNE’S CAUSE OF DEATH REVEALED IN PRELIMINARY AUTOPSY REPORT
As the loss of a celebrity can bring a range of emotions, experts confirm that the feelings of mourning and grief are very real, even if there is no personal relationship.
Fans pay tribute to British singer Liam Payne in front of the hotel where he died in Buenos Aires on Oct. 17, 2024. (LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images)
Heather Hagen, a licensed mental health clinician and executive director of outpatient services at Newport Healthcare in Los Angeles, told Fox News Digital that celebrities can have a major impact on fans’ lives through their work, “which can create a sense of connection.”
“So, the emotions you are feeling are valid,” she confirmed.
PROCESSING THE SUICIDES OF BELOVED STARS: GRIEF EXPERTS SHARE THOUGHTFUL INSIGHTS
“With media, it can sometimes feel like we really know a celebrity, and the thought of them no longer being there is difficult to deal with, even though we may never have actually met them.”
With an artist like Payne in particular, Hagen said the nostalgia some fans have after growing up listening to One Direction’s music may intensify the impact of his death.
Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik of One Direction attend the launch of their debut single ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ at HMV, Oxford Street on Sept. 11, 2011, in London, England. (Fred Duval/FilmMagic)
“These fans might reflect on memories tied to the celebrity’s music and the joy those moments brought to them growing up,” she said.
People in younger generations – namely Gen Z and younger millennials – could be more impacted by Payne’s death, the expert suggested, since he was “still a young man and active in his career.”
ONE DIRECTION MEMBERS ‘DEVASTATED BY’ LIAM PAYNE’S DEATH, SAY THEY WILL ‘MISS HIM TERRIBLY’
“This may be the first celebrity death they are encountering, which might create more emotion than for someone of an older demographic,” Hagen said.
People processing the loss of a celebrity should allow themselves to experience the full range of feelings associated with grief, including anger, sadness and nostalgia, she advised.
Hagen also recommends practicing self-care and focusing on tasks that promote happiness, like spending time with loved ones or enjoying a favorite hobby.
“Listening to Liam and One Direction’s music may be cathartic at this time,” she said.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
It’s common for celebrity deaths to trigger feelings associated with past tragedies, Hagen noted.
“The feelings we experience may be attached to previous pain that we still carry with us,” she said.
One Direction members (left to right) Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan attend a press conference for X Factor at The Connaught Hotel in central London on Dec. 9, 2010. (Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)
“Seek professional support if your feelings become too intense or interfere with daily life,” the expert advised. “They can help you process your grief in a healthy way.”
Sharing your feelings with friends and fellow fans can also be a helpful coping mechanism, according to Hagen.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
“Sharing your favorite memories of them can help create a sense of connection,” she said. “Discussing your thoughts can provide comfort and help you feel less alone in your grief.”
Los Angeles-based grief specialist David Kessler reiterated that talking about the tragedy is an important step in processing the sudden loss of a celebrity — or the loss of anyone who is loved or admired.
One Direction’s Liam Payne arrives for an autograph signing session on Dec. 6, 2010. (Anna Gowthorpe/PA Images via Getty Images)
Talking about the loss is not only helpful for those who are grieving, but it also honors the person who died, Kessler noted in a previous interview with Fox News Digital.
“Public grief is real grief,” he said.
“Public figures are part of our lives — they remind us of who we are and, sometimes, who we want to be.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
ONE WALKING HABIT COULD SIGNAL A HEALTHIER BRAIN AFTER 80, SCIENTISTS SAY
The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
WOMAN WITH ADVANCED ALZHEIMER’S REGAINED SPEECH AND MEMORIES AFTER TAKING MAGIC MUSHROOMS
At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
COMMON VITAMIN MAY INFLUENCE BRAIN AGING IN WAYS SCIENTISTS DIDN’T EXPECT
The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
‘LONGEVITY GENE’ MAY PROTECT THE BRAIN FROM ALZHEIMER’S BY BOOSTING DNA REPAIR, STUDY FINDS
The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
-
Seattle, WA2 minutes agoStudy finds dangerous chemicals in the breast milk of Seattle moms
-
San Diego, CA4 minutes agoTom Krasovic: Justin Verlander’s announcement recalls Padres’ 2004 draft blunder
-
Milwaukee, WI9 minutes ago‘Peace on Every Block’ brings Milwaukee community together to fight gun violence
-
Atlanta, GA17 minutes agoAtlanta smash-and-grab: Masked men ram U-Haul into clothing store
-
Minneapolis, MN20 minutes agoMinneapolis police drone debate sparks privacy concerns
-
Indianapolis, IN24 minutes ago
Adam Vinatieri will celebrate on the field in Indianapolis again as Colts’ Ring of Honor member
-
Pittsburg, PA32 minutes agoU.S. launches more strikes against Iran
-
Augusta, GA35 minutes agoAugusta groups work to keep veterans housed through SSVF program
