It was announced today that popular British boy band One Direction will be losing one if its key members, Zayn Malik. After leaving the world tour last week due to stress, Malik has confirmed that his days with the band are over.

In a statement, Malik said, “”My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I’d like to apologise to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right.”

The rest of the band: Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson will continue with the four members. The five met in 2010 when they finished third on the UK’s version of The X-Factor. They went on to become one of the biggest bands in the world, with 4 #1 albums, successful world tours, and a few theatrical movie releases.

This isn’t the first time Malik has threatened to leave the band, however. Back when they were on The X-Factor, Malik nearly quit the band during the bootcamp. Also, after recent allegations of drug use from Matt Lauer on The Today Show, many thought that might lead toward the end of his time with the group.

The remaining members of the band released the following statement, “We’re really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future. The past five years have been beyond amazing – we’ve gone through so much together, so we will always be friends.”