Liam Payne's poignant letter to his 10-year-old self resurfaces after death: 'You'll feel scary, like you're alone, but you're not'

Amid the outpouring of grief and love in the wake of Liam Payne's shocking death at 31 on Wednesday after falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina came a poignant reminder from the former One Direction and solo star's recent past. to put things right. .

That prompt came from BBC Radio 2 presenter Scott Mills, who on Thursday (October 17) played a letter Payne wrote to his 10-year-old self in 2020 and read it on BBC Radio 1 as part of a pandemic series. Mills noted that during the COVID-19 shutdown, Payne came on his show to take part in the project by asking artists to speak to their younger selves, and, looking moved, added that the singer's view is now especially “shocking” in light of its tragedy. death.

“Dear 10-year-old Liam. Brew! It's about to get a little bumpy,” Payne says in a blurry close-up video in which he's wearing headphones. “Cherish every moment with your loved ones right now as there are only a few more family holidays to enjoy, life is about to get surreal. You know what you love, singing, keep it up and when you turn 14 something magical will happen and I'm not talking about adolescence.”

The singer tells his 5th grade self that not only will he be auditioning for “one of the biggest music shows in the world.” The X Factorbut that he will also meet the future mother of his now seven-year-old son Bear, Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole.

“I know it seems early, but trust me everything will work out as it is supposed to. I suggest you watch Back to the Futurecan help,” Payne joked at the time. “You're famous now and you feel like you've arrived so early, but you haven't even started yet. Take that one step down and remember it's a marathon not a sprint,” he said, noting that his first audition for The X Factor in 2008 as a solo artist – where judge Simon Cowell said he wasn't quite ready yet – wasn't even 'base camp' on his wild ride to global stardom.

“For a while you will feel like giving up. But don't, as you're going to meet four other guys on the same dance floor as you,” he said of his second effort in 2010, when Cowell paired him with his potential 1D mates: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn. Malik and Louis Tomlinson.

“When you first meet them there will be chaos, but remember to have fun, stay young at heart, as this is what this point in your life is all about. Forgive more and learn to listen,” Payne advised. “You will have the most amazing time of your life, travel the world and live a life you only imagined. Then it will be over for a while and you will only be left with the steering wheel.”

Payne also told his younger self that after 1D went on hiatus in 2016 things would be “scary” for a while, “like you're alone, but you're not. You are about to embark on a whole new journey with the most amazing person you have ever met, your son, Bear.”

Payne's only child, Bear, was born in 2017, a year before he and Cole split. “Don't doubt yourself on this dad thing, just look at all the things you've learned along the way, surely that means you have a lot to give,” he said. “Be grateful and try to remember the very day you do something you love that took ten years to make. The first single will skyrocket and you'll never see it coming, but stop the self-doubt and you'll be fine.”

The letter ends with Payne giving a “big hug” to his mom, dad and his entire family.

Payne's death has prompted tributes from around the world, including personal notes from all his former 1D bandmates and a joint statement from the living members on Thursday, as well as tributes from Payne's family and his former school.

Local authorities said they believe Payne was not sober at the time of his death, saying they found what appeared to be drugs and alcoholic beverages in his room. A preliminary autopsy confirmed that Payne died of multiple injuries and internal and external bleeding caused by a fall from the third floor of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo region of Argentina.

In the moments leading up to the star's death, a hotel manager called 911 to report that a guest was “overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol” and “wasting [their] the whole room”; By the time the police arrived on the scene, Payne had already fallen from the balcony of his room and died from his injuries.

Watch Payne read his letter below.