Robbie Williams thinks he is only still alive because of "dumb luck".
The 50-year-old pop star shot to fame when he was a teenager as part of Take That in the late 1990s and has opened up about his personal struggles with addiction in the years that followed but following the death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne - who died on Wednesday (16.10.24) after jumping from his hotel balcony in Buenos Ares - he initially assumed he would suffer a similar fate to Hollywood actor Heath Ledger, who died in 2008 aged just 28.
He wrote on Instagram: "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 p***taker 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. 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.
"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.
“The internet will unfortunately carry on being the internet. The media will unfortunately carry on being the media and fame will carry on being fame."
The 'Rock DJ' hitmaker urged his fans to remember that "even famous strangers need compassion" in life and concluded his statement by noting that a "tragic painful loss" Liam's death has been for the world.
He said: "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.
"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."
Liam shot to fame in 2010 alongside Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik when they placed third on the UK version of 'The X Factor', and they went on to achieve global chart-topping success as the world's first billion-dollar boyband.
The group went on hiatus in 2016 and Liam went on to have son Bear, seven, with his former partner Cheryl and enjoyed a solo career with his hit single 'Strip That Down' and his only album 'LP1'.
Just over 24 hours after the tragedy, the 'What Makes You Beautiful' singers released a joint statement, admitting to being "devastated by the news of Liam's passing".
They said: "We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say.
"But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.
"The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.
"We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam. - Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry. (sic)"
