It’s a slap in the face to deluded fans who desperately hoped the news in March that Malik had split from the British quintet was just a bad dream.

Here are nine other examples of acrimonious breakups in which irate former band members refused to play nicely anymore:

The Smiths

Moody British band the Smiths soon foundered after the departure of lead guitarist Johnny Marr in August 1987. Marr, who’s gone on to collaborate with many other artists, did not publicly diss the famously egotistical Morrissey, but made a series of thinly disguised digs after they broke up. Referring to the band’s last recording sessions together, Marr told a journalist: “I didn’t form a group to perform Cilla Black songs.” Black was a popular middle-of-the-road lounge singer in the UK. Ouch!

Pink Floyd

It was inflatable pigs at dawn when Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters quit the band in 1983 after a row with David Gilmour over songwriting credits. He went on to sue his former cohorts for continuing to tour as Pink Floyd. The band members — Waters, Gilmour, drummer Nick Mason and keyboard player Rick Wright — later conducted business via lawyers and faxes. They reunited for a London concert in July 2005.

The Beatles

Fans despaired after the Fab Four broke up in 1970 due to irreconcilable differences, which began to emerge during the recording of 1968’s White Album. While John Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, was blamed by the media, it was generally believed to have been caused by artistic differences between Lennon and Paul McCartney. Six years later, McCartney’s band Wings released a live album, “Wings Over America,” with songwriting credits for five Beatles songs having McCartney’s name listed before Lennon’s. In the late 1990s, almost 20 years after Lennon’s murder, McCartney and Ono became involved in a dispute over the credit order. At first, McCartney stood firm about the wording, but he relented in 2005, saying he “didn’t care any more.”

Oasis

Few family feuds have been quite as crazy as the one between Manchester, UK-born brothers Noel and Liam Gallager. The pair has traded barbs ever since they had a huge physical fight backstage at one of their Paris shows in August 2009, leading to the breakup of Oasis. Noel issued a statement on the group’s Web site, saying: “With some sadness and great relief ... I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.” The duo was recently rumored to have started talking again after a family wedding brought them together, but it’s doubtful Oasis will ever re-form.

NWA

Ice Cube left rap group NWA in December 1989 after complaining he wasn’t getting his fair share of the royalties. The remaining group members got their revenge by insulting him on two albums, including calling him Benedict Arnold. After that, Ice Cube repeatedly fired back with several diss songs, including “No Vaseline.” There then ensued another feud between former NWA rapper Dr. Dre and Eazy-E in 1992, which lasted until Eazy’s untimely death from AIDS three years later.

Sex Pistols

When British punk band the Sex Pistols broke up in 1978, lead vocalist Johnny Rotten (aka John Lydon) sued manager Malcolm McLaren over royalty payments and the future use of the name Johnny Rotten — a reference to the state of his teeth. The feud continued for years but, after McLaren’s death in April 2010, Lydon issued a statement, saying: “For me, Malc was always entertaining, and I hope you remember that. Above all else he was an entertainer and I will miss him, and so should you.”

Queensrÿche

There’s nothing like full-blown fisticuffs to speed the demise of a warring band. Members of ’80s metal group Queensrÿche attacked each other before a concert in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in April 2012 after long-simmering resentments boiled over. The main beef was between frontman Geoff Tate and drummer Scott Rockenfield. Tate was fired and, at one point, there were two bands named Queensrÿche on the road. A legal settlement was reached two years later when Tate lost the Queensrÿche brand name to Rockenfield and his two other former bandmates, Michael Wilton and Eddie Jackson. He can now only refer to himself as the “Original Lead Singer of Queensrÿche” or “Formerly of Queensrÿche” until 2016.

Spandau Ballet

The ’80s New Wave band Spandau Ballet split in 1990, but things soon soured as the band members argued about royalties. Lead singer Tony Hadley, drummer John Keeble and saxophone player Steve Norman unsuccessfully sued songwriter Gary Kemp in 1999, with Hadley being particularly outspoken against him. Despite years of resentment and name-calling, the band saw financial sense and reunited in October 2009, and occasionally still performs together.

The Eagles

Tensions flared between members of the Eagles at a 1980 benefit show when one of the band members, Don Felder, was disrespectful to the wife of a senator who was visiting backstage. All hell broke loose, and Glenn Frey and Felder started threatening each other over their mics during the concert. “There’s three more, pal,” Frey said, counting down the number of songs they had left on the set list before he was going to fight Felder backstage. After the band’s inevitable breakup, Don Henley famously commented that the Eagles would play together again “when hell freezes over.” There was a 14-year calming-down period, but they eventually did reunite in 1994.

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