NEED TO KNOW
A letter Taylor Swift penned to the late Liam Payne back in 2017 is up for auction.
In the sweet note — “dated 12.1.17” — Swift, 35, told Payne she was championing him and his solo career.
The letter is up for auction on Dec. 2 with Omega Auctions. The lot on the auctioneer’s website shows the item is valued at £5,000-10,000 (around $6,500-$13,150).
According to the description, the note was given to Payne, who died at the age of 31 on Oct. 16, 2024, ahead of their respective performances at that year’s Capital FM Jingle Bell Ball at London’s O2 Arena. Swift and Payne performed at the concert on Dec. 10, 2017.
The note is printed on a card featuring Swift’s custom letterhead and reads, “Liam, Long time no see! I’m so excited for you, you’re crushing it out there. I’m obsessed with ‘Bedroom Floor.’ It’s so cool to see you from afar, I’m always cheering you on. Good luck tonight!”
The letter was signed off with Swift’s signature and came in an envelope with “Liam” and stars on the front that was sealed with a personalized ‘T’ wax seal. The words, “Nashville, Tennessee” — the city Swift moved to in her teens to pursue her music career — are also printed on the back.
The note was gifted by Payne to a “close associate” shortly after he received it, per the description on the auctioneer’s website.
PEOPLE has reached out to a representative for Swift for comment.
Payne released “Bedroom Floor” in October of that year, with the track following his debut solo single “Strip That Down” (May 2017) and “Get Low” (July 2017).
Omega Auctions
His solo career followed the announcement of One Direction’s hiatus in August 2015. The band’s indefinite break began in January 2016, following the release of their fifth studio album, and came after Zayn Malik left the band in March 2015.
While neither Payne or Swift had spoken about their friendship publicly, Swift has crossed paths with the members of One Direction on numerous occasions and dated Harry Styles.
The pair were first linked in March 2012 and later split in January 2013.
Omega Auctions
Swift was also pictured hanging out with Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson at Billboard Music Awards after party and she collaborated with Malik on 2016’s “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever.”
The auction comes shortly after the first anniversary of Payne’s death.
JM Enternational/Redferns
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He died after falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An autopsy later revealed that he died of “polytrauma,” meaning multiple injuries that involve multiple organs or systems, according to the National Library of Medicine.
A toxicology report released by the prosecutor’s office the following month said the singer had traces of “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in his system at the time of his death.
