Willie Nelson has spoken candidly about his mental health struggles, as he shared a heartfelt tribute to his late friend Paul English.
The country music icon, 89, first met Paul in 1955, but had no idea just how much the relationship would change his life. The two remained close friends up until Paul's death two years ago at the age of 87.
In his late twenties, Willie said he reached a "definite low point" and was driven to the brink of suicide after struggling to find success.
He has now revealed Paul showed up at his trailer in Nashville and helped him through his struggles by envisioning "a rosy future".
The On The Road Again singer has memorialised his pal with his new memoir Me and Paul: Untold Stories of a Fabled Friendship.
The book, which is released on Tuesday, recounts the ways in which Paul supported Willie for more than six decades.
"Looking back over my life, my early days in Nashville were a definite low point. I'm not one to easily fall prey to depression, but depression had me in its grips," Willie wrote.
He added: "My get-up-and-go attitude was challenged. That's saying something because my get-up-and-go attitude is deep inside my DNA.
"It's always been there, and I had believed, at least till I got to Nashville, it always would be. But Nashville was different."
After one particularly rough night, Willie said he woke up and found Paul "leaning on the hood of our trailer".
"I was barely awake. It was the day after I'd tried to ease my troubled mind on Broadway. Paul's timing was uncanny," he recalled.
Paul said he had been keeping track of the musician and wanted to see how he was doing. The drummer took Willie for some food and said they should celebrate Willie's future successes.
Willie insisted Paul wasn't thinking straight, reminding him that he was struggling to catch a break and make connections with some of the biggest names in the business.
His friend said: "I'm thinking of how these fools are gonna feel when you start having hit songs left and right. That's when they'll eat their hearts out for paying you no mind when they could have bought you for a nickel and nail."
Willie added: "He really believed in a rosy future at a time when I couldn't afford to buy my wife a dozen roses."
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
