Robbie Williams spoke to Deadline speaking of how deeply the tragic death of Liam Payne has touched him: “We’re processing a world-wide shock. I’m depressed, and I’m sad. A huge part of that is Liam-shaped.”
Williams feels like a shift in the way society views celebrity and fame is long overdue, suggesting, “Nothing seems to change and if it isn’t me, then who?… I am the problem if I do nothing.We are the problem if we don’t.”
Former member of one direction , Payne, was confirmed dead on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Williams, who became popular with Take when he was 16 years old in 1990, In 2010, Williams mentored Payne and other One Direction contestants on ‘The X-Factor’.
The interview follows Williams’ ‘Better Man‘, a biopic in which the star co-writer director Michael Gracey documents her struggles with fame and addiction. She also offered some praise for singer-songwriter Chappell Roan, who has been vocal about pressures on celebrities. “She’s spoken out brilliantly, and “I’m here for that. I used to say the same thing in the ’90s, but I would get derided for it. Like, ‘How dare you be anything other than grateful, you ungrateful pond life.’ But this is not a fame problem, this is a human problem. This is a social problem, this is a social media problem. This isn’t just us celebrities, this is us humans.”
On Friday, Williams paid a heartfelt tribute on Instagram “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 p_takery and thought about all the times I was that cheeky p_takers with the pop stars 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.”
