"Even famous strangers need your compassion" — Robbie Williams shares Liam Payne's old mail as he asks for empathy after singer's death
English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams joins the list of celebrities to speak about Liam Payne's sudden death after the 31-year-old singer fell from his hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires. The One Direction band member reportedly suffered a fractured skull and other injuries from the fall, resulting in his death on October 16.
In his Instagram post on October 18, Williams shared an email between him and Payne dated June 14, 2022, in which the latter had written:
"Thanks man that means the world. I'm nervous as hell about it but I won't back out you have my word. Wish me luck. Liam."
Robbie Williams replied that he was "very proud" of Payne. The latest email in the thread came on October 17 after Payne's death, with Williams sending a broken heart emoji. In the caption, the singer questioned how to "make sense of the Liam Payne tragedy?"
He emphasized that, as individuals, we should extend compassion to everyone, including celebrities.
"As individuals though we have the power to change ourselves. We can be kinder. We can be more empathic. We can at least try to be more compassionate towards ourselves, our family, our friends, strangers in life and strangers on the internet. Even famous strangers need your compassion," he wrote.
Robbie Williams concluded his post by adding that Liam Payne's death was a "tragic painful loss" for the world and urged people to "be kind."
Robbie Williams said his "trials and tribulations" were similar to Liam Payne
In his tribute post for Liam Payne, Robbie Williams added that he felt a sense of kinship with the late singer.
He started by explaining how he met the One Direction members on The X Factor as their "mentor" and took an immediate liking to them. He added that Liam Payne's "trials and tribulations" were similar to his, so he reached out to the singer to provide support.
"Our paths have crossed ever since that day and I’m fond of them all. Liam’s trials and tribulations were very similar to mine, so it made sense to reach out and offer what I could. So I did," he wrote.
He then talked about how the social media culture is quick to judge celebrities without knowing what is going on in their lives to make them act the way they do. Williams added that people need to give celebrities some slack and think twice about the fact that their posts might be seen by the people they targeted or their families.
Williams also talked about his struggles with substance abuse, adding that he relapsed at 31.
"I still had my demons at 31. I relapsed. I was in pain. I was in pain because I relapsed. I relapsed because of a multitude of painful reasons. I remember Heath Ledger passing and thinking ‘’I’m next’’. By the grace of god and/or dumb luck I’m still here," he wrote.
Liam Payne had also previously talked about his drug addiction. In 2023, he revealed he was in rehab and crossed his 100-day milestone of sobriety.
Minutes before Liam Payne's death, the hotel receptionist made two calls to 911, claiming that a guest "overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol" was trashing his room. Approximately seven minutes after the call, Payne was thought to have fallen off the balcony. He reportedly died on the scene, with "no possibility of resuscitation."
According to the BBC, a preliminary autopsy report revealed the late singer had 25 injuries "consistent with a fall from a great height." Police found a bottle of whiskey and some medication in his hotel room. It is unclear whether Payne had drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of his death.
