“It was a bit like I felt when I heard the news when my dad passed away,” said The X Factor judge, who helped form One Direction with Payne and his bandmates, before also recalling his final encounter with the late singer.
Simon Cowell is recalling the moment he found out Liam Payne had died.
In an interview with The New York Times, The X Factor creator and judge — who helped form One Direction with Payne and his bandmates — revealed how he learned about Payne’s death, and shared his initial reaction.
Payne unexpectedly passed away after fatally falling from his hotel balcony during a trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16, 2024. He was 31.
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“Somebody who works with me very closely came into my room. I was up in the north of England, and I could tell by the look of her face that she was upset. She said, ‘Sit down,’ and she told me,” recalled Cowell, 66. “And it was like — wow.”
While he said it’s hard to describe how he was feeling in the moment, Cowell compared it to how he felt when he learned his father had died.
“It was a bit like I felt when I heard the news when my dad passed away. It’s very difficult to put into words how you feel. It’s just shock,” he explained. “At that point, you’re not really thinking clearly.”
The American Idol alum noted that he immediately wanted to reach out to Payne’s family.
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“I just remember saying: ‘I really need to speak to his mum and dad. Can you get them on the phone as soon as possible please?’ Because, God, as a parent, what that must have felt like,” he told The New York Times. “I knew his mum and dad, and I wanted to reach out, just to say how I felt. It was just awful, awful.”
Following Payne’s death, a toxicology report obtained by TMZ revealed that the singer died from injuries sustained in his fall, with alcohol, cocaine, and a prescribed antidepressant in his system. Payne did not hide his struggles with alcohol and drug use over the years, even sharing he had a 100-day rehab stint in 2023. He also later celebrated 100 days of sobriety.
While speaking with The New York Times, Cowell said he had a meeting with Payne about a year prior to his death, and praised him on how “amazing” he looked.
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“I’d seen him like a year before in this room,” he recalled. “I remember seeing him walk into this room and saying: ‘God, you look amazing, Liam. What have you done?’ ‘Well, I’m going to the gym’ and blah, blah, blah.”
“We talked about his son and how much it means to be a dad,” Cowell added of Payne, who shared son Bear with ex Cheryl Cole. “And I was talking to him about there’s more to life than just music; you’ve got to a point in your life where you’ve got choice now, etc. We just hung out as friends.”
“That’s why I was so shocked and surprised when I heard the news,” he added.
Cowell was among the many stars who paid tribute to Payne following his death in October 2024, with the record executive sharing an emotional statement at the time.
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“You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens,” he wrote in part. “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. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.”
“This is so difficult to put into words right now. I went outside today, and I thought about all the times we had together,” he added. “I wanted to let you know what I would always say 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.”
Cowell and Payne first met way back in 2008 when the latter auditioned for The X Factor. After Cowell told him to come back again, Payne returned two years later, and as Cowell recalled to the NYT, he “nailed it on his audition.”
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Cowell and then guest judge Nicole Scherzinger ultimately formed One Direction, which consisted of Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Niall Horan. While the group didn’t win, they were signed to Cowell’s label — and went on to be superstars.
One Direction was together for approximately six years from their formation in 2010 to their announcement of an indefinite hiatus in 2016. (Malik left in 2015). The group sold millions of records, travelled around the world, and grew up together in front of the eyes of the public.
Payne had previously discussed the struggles he faced during the height of the group’s fame, but Cowell has slammed critics who claimed he was to blame for Payne’s death.
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“The idea that you are essentially responsible for somebody’s life, 10 years after you’ve signed someone? You can’t do that,” he recently shared on Rolling Stone‘s podcast Music Now.
He went on, “You ask yourself that question: ‘Could I have done anything more? What would’ve happened to Liam if he hadn’t been in the band?’ Having spoken to his mom and dad recently, all they kept telling me was he was so proud of what he had achieved.”
“I wish I could turn back the clock, of course,” Cowell added. “When I spoke to him that day, I felt really good about him. I thought, ‘Wow, you seem in a really good place.'”
