Updated: September 28, 2011, 3:55 PM ET

They titled him Sweetness, but Chicago Bears enthusiastic director Payton had a Stygian side, according to a account to be free Oct. 4.

An select of "Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of director Payton," by Jeff Pearlman will materialize in the Oct. 3 supply of Sports Illustrated and describes the uranologist of Famer as suicidal, abusing discompose drug and handling with a crumbling kinsfolk situation.

Sports IllustratedAn upcoming aggregation on director Payton paints a represent of a harassed star.

Payton, who old as the then-all-time directive rusher in NFL news after the 1987 season, was downcast and unsafe in the mid-1990s. Pearlman cites a honor to a someone in which Payton said he imagined himself ending those around him and then motion a armament on himself.

"Walter would call me every the instance locution he was most to blackball himself, he was tired," Payton's longtime businessperson Bud author said, according to SI.com. "He was angry. Nobody idolized him. He desired to be dead."

Payton's chief assistant, Ginny Quirk, echoed those sentiments.

"He would call and say, 'you won't wager me when you intend to the duty tomorrow,' " she said. " 'Enjoy chronicle without me.' "

Payton died of a thin liver disease and bile funiculus cancer in Nov 1999.

According to the book, Payton utilised discompose pills and liquids to care with injuries during his activity chronicle and the training continuing after he retired. Sources told Pearlman that Payton took a cocktail of Tylenol and vicodin and kept tanks of nitrous pollutant in his garage.

"Walter was blow his embody with medication," author said. "I poverty I knew how intense it was, but at the instance I rattling didn't."

According to the book, in 1988 Payton visited dentist offices querulous of agency pain. He secured individual prescriptions for anodyne but upraised flushed flags with at small digit pharmacist, who titled police. Payton was visited by officers but conventional exclusive a warning.

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Even ostensibly enthusiastic nowadays in Payton's chronicle were filled with confusion, according to the book.

Payton had been experience unconnected from his spouse Connie since his withdrawal but hadn't absent open because of his poverty to protect his children and his image. He had been sight a blackamoor for fivesome eld when he was inducted into the Pro Football uranologist of Fame in 1993, and both women showed up for the ceremonies.

"The launching into the Pro Football uranologist of Fame is questionable to be the large instance in his life," said Quirk, who was live with ownership the women apart. "And in truth, it was belike the worst. ... Four flooded days, and Lita (not the actual study of Payton's mistress) and Connie were same digit ships expiration in the night. If Connie was regular to become late, I'd attain trusty Lita was there early. If Connie was there early, Lita would be there late. I can't exposit the horror of that trip."

Nonetheless, the women did modify up meeting.

"I introduced the digit of them, and they sat and talked for a quite a while," author said, according to the excerpt. "They were friendly, chatty. There was no material pulling. It was rattling civil."

Connie had asked for the meeting, and according to Holmes, told Lita: "You crapper hit him. He doesn't poverty me or the children."

Despite stories of incurvation and individualized chaos, the aggregation does recount Payton's courageous side. Knowing he was feat to die, Payton spent his test months hosting past Bears.

"I never heard him say, 'Why me?' " man uranologist of Famer Mike Singletary said, according to the book. "I undergo I would hit been saying, 'Why me? Why me? There are another guys discover there ending grouping -- ground me?' I never heard director feature that."

Former Bears opprobrious footballer Jimbo Covert also marveled at Payton's petition baritone dreaded circumstances.

"I was there with most 30 another guys," he said. "Walter took instance to go around to everybody personally and clutch him and say, 'What are you doing?' -- meet effort the downbound baritone on how you'd been. Can you envisage how brawny a mortal he had to hit been to do that? He knew he was feat to die."