shared his reaction to the death of One Direction’s , whose career was kickstarted when Cowell was a judge on the U.K.’s The X Factor.
“You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens. Liam, I am truly devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty. And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you,” Cowell, 65, wrote via an Instagram statement on Friday, October 18. “Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.”
Cowell added that processing his grief for Payne has been “difficult to put in words,” but he has been thinking about the singer since learning about his death.
“I went outside today, and I thought about so many times we had together,” he continued. “I wanted to let you know what I would always to the thousands of people who would always ask me. What is Liam like? And I would tell them you were kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble, focused. And how much you loved music. And how much love you genuinely had for the fans.”
The former judge recalled meeting Payne for the first time when he auditioned for The X Factor at age 14 and how he had to turn him away since it wasn’t his “time” yet. (Payne returned to the competition series two years later and joined the group One Direction.)
“We both made a promise that we would meet again. A lot of people would have given up. You didn’t. You came back and within months the whole world knew Liam,” Cowell wrote. “And you never forgot the fans. I watched you spending so much time with people who had wanted to meet you. You really cared. You came to see me last year. Not for a meeting. Just to sit and talk. And we reminisced about all of the fun times we had together.”
Cowell added that he was proud to see how Payne had grown since he first met him as a “sweet, kind boy,” especially when he became a father to son Bear, 7, whom he shared with ex .
“I have met your son, Bear. He has your smile and that twinkle in his eyes you have,” Cowell shared. “And he will be so proud of everything you achieved. And how you achieved it.”
The record executive recalled how Payne and his fellow One Direction bandmates shared a close bond as performers and was proud they still had a high regard for one another following their hiatus.
“I always thought of the 5 of you in the band as brothers. And reading their messages today I believe you were,” he said. “And now Liam, I can see the effect you had on so many people. Because you left us too soon. Rest in peace my friend. And I am sending my love, thoughts and prayers to your family.”
Payne died at the age of 31 while in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, October 16, Us Weekly confirmed. The singer was staying at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel when he fell from the balcony of his third floor hotel room, according to Buenos Aires City Police. A cause of death has not been confirmed, but city police were called to the hotel following a 911 call reporting aggressive behavior who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
In 2010, Payne auditioned for singing-competition series The X Factor, where he was grouped together with bandmates , , and to form One Direction.
Footage released in 2022 showed Cowell, and judges and shuffling through headshots to form the band. In coming across Payne’s headshot, Cowell called him “the standout audition.”
“That looks good,” Cowell said after seeingPayne’s face next to Styles, Horan and Tomlinson. Malik was the final person added to the boy band, which would go on to become one of the most successful music groups in history.
Earlier this year, Cowell discussed the early days of One Direction and how he optimistically set them up for success.
“When I was talking to One Direction, I remember saying to them, ‘Our goal is for you to have enough hits that if you ever reform, that you can do stadium tours. That means you got to have about 10 hit singles,’” Cowell recalled on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast in June.
However, when asked if he thought the group would ever reunite, Cowell said, “I doubt it.”
The group released four studio albums — 2011’s Up All Night, 2012’s Take Me Home, 2013’s Midnight Memories and 2014’s Four — before Malik left the band in March 2015.
“I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight,” Malik said in the statement at the time. “I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. I know they will continue to be the best band in the world.”
Without Malik, the remaining four band members released the 2015 album Made in the A.M. before going on an indefinite hiatus to pursue individual projects.
With the release of Four in 2014, One Direction became the first band in Billboard 200 history to have their first four albums debut at No. 1.
One Direction won a total of seven BRIT Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards and seven American Music Awards.
At the end of their run, they amassed 14 top 10 singles in the U.K., four more than Cowell proposed.
