Robbie Williams is paying tribute to his former mentee, Liam Payne.
For those who don’t know, the Take That alum mentored One Direction when they competed on The X Factor UK in 2010. He remained in touch with the band members, including Liam, over the years. So, you can imagine that when the news that the 31-year-old singer died after jumping from the fourth-story balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires broke on Wednesday, Robbie, like so many of us, felt a lot of emotions.
For him, the most overwhelming ones were shock and “sadness,” as he noted in a new post to Liam. Taking to Instagram on Friday, the pop star wrote:
“How to make sense of the Liam Payne tragedy? Obviously, my first feelings towards his passing were like everyone else. Shock, sadness and confusion. And to be honest as I write these words that’s where I still am. I met the boys on The X Factor and ‘’mentored’’ them. I use the word mentored in inverted brackets cos I hardly did anything to be honest. I just hung out with them. They were all cheeky and lovely. I enjoyed the light hearted piss takery and thought about all the times I was that cheeky pisstaker with the Popstars that had gone before me when I was in Take That. Our paths have crossed ever since that day and I’m fond of them all.”
Related: Looking Back At Liam Payne’s 2020 Open Letter To His Younger Self Will Break Your Heart
Robbie, who struggles with addiction, noted he continued to “reach out” whenever he could:
“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.”
Alongside the lengthy caption, he even included an example of one of those moments which came in the form of an email. In the message, William wished Liam luck on his career, saying:
“F**K yeah… go get it … very proud of you.”
The Strip That Down artist appreciated the support and responded to the email by saying:
“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.”
Wow…
Unfortunately, things didn’t seem to pan out the way Liam wanted to in the long run, as he reportedly was dropped from his record label before his untimely death. And not only was he struggling professionally, but personally as well. That was due to his legal issues with ex Maya Henry. So, as a reminder to everyone, Robbie said in all caps that you “don’t know whats going on in people’s lives,” and added:
“WHAT PAIN THEY’RE GOING THROUGH AND WHAT MAKES THEM BEHAVE IN THE WAY THAT THEY BEHAVE. BEFORE WE REACH TO JUDGEMENT, A BIT OF SLACK NEEDS TO BE GIVEN. BEFORE YOU TYPE ANYTHING ON THE INTERNET, HAVE A THINK ‘DO I REALLY NEED TO PUBLISH THIS?’, BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE DOING. YOU’RE PUBLISHING YOUR THOUGHTS FOR ANYBODY TO READ. EVEN IF YOU DON’T REALLY THINK THAT CELEBRITIES OR THEIR FAMILIES EXIST. THEY F**KING DO. SKIN AND BONE AND IMMENSELY SENSITIVE.”
He also stressed that “even famous strangers need your compassion.” So true. Concluding the post, Robbie expressed:
“What a Handsome Talented boy. What a tragic painful loss for his friends, family, fans and by the looks of the energy this moment has created — The World. Be Kind.”
Well said, Robbie. Read the entire message (below):
Liam truly will be missed. Reactions to the tribute? Let us know.
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
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