Why do celebrity deaths like Liam Payne’s impact us so deeply?

The world of celebrity can feel both distant and intimately familiar, and Liam Payne’s tragic death at just 31 has once again shown how deeply we can connect to public figures, even if we've never met them. Whether or not you were a devoted One Direction fan, Payne’s sudden passing has sparked an outpouring of grief across social media and led to vigils being held around the world. But why does the loss of a celebrity like Payne resonate so profoundly with people who only knew him from afar?