One Direction stars reach out to fans after Zayn Malik's departure

Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne have sent love and thanks to their fans on Twitter.com after their bandmate Zayn Malik quit One Direction.

On Wednesday (25Mar15), Malik announced he has walked away from the boyband after five years because he wants to "be a normal 22 year old, who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight."

The news devastated One Direction fans around the world and became a trending topic on Twitter.com, and Harry Styles, who was pictured in tears at the band's gig in Jakarta, Indonesia on Wednesday night, has now broken his silence to send a heartfelt message to them, writing on the micro-blogging site, "All the love as always. H."

Tomlinson thanked them for their support, adding, "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!... Your support has been incredible, truly incredible so thank you so much!" while Payne simply wrote, "So glad to be in bed after a long and strange 24 hours."

One Direction creator Simon Cowell also gave thanks to fans, adding, "Sometimes strength is not defined by numbers... As always you the fans have shown your amazing support to all the boys. When you have great talent great things happen."