Harry Styles and Liam Payne were back on Twitter late on Wednesday, March 25, addressing their fans for the first time since Zayn Malik's shocking departure from One Direction earlier in the day.
The duo returned to social media after an emotional performance as a foursome in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, on 1D’s On the Road Again Tour. As Us Weekly previously reported, Styles, 21, was videoed crying onstage during the performance.
Styles' first post-Zayn tweet was an attempt to comfort and support One Direction's loyal (and devastated) fans following his former 22-year-old bandmate's decision to quit. "All the love as always. H," he wrote.
All the love as always. H
— Harry Styles. (@Harry_Styles) March 26, 2015
Two hours later, Payne added his message to the Twittersphere. "So glad to be in bed after a long and strange 24 hours," the singer, 21, wrote, evidently feeling the exhaustion following a headline-making day.
So glad to be in bed after a long and strange 24 hours
— Liam (@Real_Liam_Payne) March 26, 2015
Both Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson followed suit a few hours later tweeting their thanks and excitement about the rest of the group's tour.
Been a mad few days and your support has been incredible as per usual ! This in turn Spurs us on to make the best music we possibly can
— Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) March 26, 2015
Put on great shows / tours for you guys. You are the best fans in the world and you deserve nothing less from us!
— Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) March 26, 2015
The lads and I arrived in South Africa this morning . We cannot wait to see all you SA fans for the first time and have great shows.
— Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) March 26, 2015
Been a crazy couple of days but know that we are going to work harder than ever to deliver the best album we've ever made for you guys !
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) March 26, 2015
Your support has been incredible , truly incredible so thank you so much !
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) March 26, 2015
Fans responded instantly, generally happy to hear from their heartthrobs as they struggled to cope with news of Malik's departure, and sending love back to their idols as they remained emotional, many saying they were still in tears.
Malik made the shocking announcement that he was leaving the band via a Facebook post earlier in the day, apologizing for letting his fans down. "I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight," he wrote of his decision.