Simon Cowell left ‘in pieces’ by Liam Payne’s tragic death
Simon Cowell has recalled the heartbreaking reaction he had to Liam Payne's death.
Simon Cowell had to “disappear” after Liam Payne’s death, as he was “really, really struggling”.
The One Direction star was just 31 when he tragically died in October 2024, falling from a balcony on the third-floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the media mogul - who discovered Payne during auditions for The X Factor in 2010 and launched his career as a member of One Direction - has revealed his heartbreaking reaction to the singer's death, having stayed close with the members of the boy band.
Speaking on the Daily Mail’s Tales From the Celebrity Trenches podcast, he said: “What do you do in a situation like that? It was so bad, I was in pieces. There were so many things going on in my head.
“I literally just disappeared somewhere for a week to think everything through because I knew I was really, really struggling.”
Liam, alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan, didn't win the X Factor, but they were quickly signed to Simon's Syco record label, and went on to achieve global success with chart-topping hits including What Makes You Beautiful and Best Song Ever.
Simon, 66, also reflected on how he was filming Netflix series The Next Act - which documented his search for the next world-dominating boyband - when Payne passed away.
He said that similar to his role with One Direction, he has always maintained the same “responsibility” in mentoring young hopeful stars.
Simon explained: “My responsibility is to go: Look, if it works and you're successful, that's a good thing.
“However, as your life changes there are going to be times when it's really stressful, really hard. I will help you prepare for that and be there if you need me.”
The record label boss recalled that there was very little thought that went into forming One Direction on The X Factor - which took him just 25 minutes to do.
He explained: “They all had good auditions. Then, in the middle rounds, certain people for whatever reason, mess up. They didn't do enough to make it as solo artists.
“However, when I saw the boys all on stage, there was a moment thinking ‘We have got to do something with them'. It took about 25 minutes, being honest with you, to put them all together. It was literally as quick as that.
“Then, I just let them do whatever they wanted. A few weeks later, I saw them walk around a corner together and they looked amazing.”
