Lewis Hamilton has revealed that David Bowie sent him two guitars before he died, without leaving a note or letter.
In a video shared from the late musician’s official Instagram page, the F1 star was seen explaining the story of how he came to receive the instruments.
“A couple of years ago, I got home to this beautiful gift of these two guitars, and I had no idea where they were from, who they came from and why they were in my apartment,” he said.
Hamilton said it wasn’t until a year later that he discovered the guitars had been sent by Bowie before his death.
“I’m so sad that I never even knew, there was no letter or message with it, but later we found out from someone who said he was a fan, which I found so hard to believe,” he said.
The 36-year-old recalled that his father had encountered Bowie on the street, years before Hamilton rose to fame as a racing driver, and said “he was one of the nicest people ever”.
In a separate clip posted from his own Instagram account, Hamilton shared a video of himself playing one of the guitars.
“Excuse all the mistakes, I’m far from good. But this is first take playing this guitar that David Bowie sent to me some years ago,” he wrote in the caption.
“I love this guitar and will cherish it forever. I never got to say thank you him or his family so if they see this, thank you so much for this. Love.”
Bowie’s widow, Iman, showed her appreciation for Hamilton’s post in the comments section.
Bowie died aged 69 in 2017, two days after his birthday and the release of his final, critically acclaimed album, Blackstar.
He was widely known and loved for his acts of generosity towards his fellow musicians and to fans, whom he treated as friends.
“Too cool,” a message on Bowie’s Instagram account said of Hamilton’s gift. “Whoever you are, wherever you are... keep shining your light #BowieForever.”
