Simon Cowell remembers his first thoughts after learning of Liam Payne's death
- - Simon Cowell remembers his first thoughts after learning of Liam Payne's death
Wesley StenzelNovember 29, 2025 at 10:29 PM
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Liam Payne and Simon Cowell in London in 2017Key points -
Simon Cowell is recalling his first thoughts after learning of Liam Payne's death in October 2024.
The X Factor judge said the moment was "a bit like I felt when I heard the news when my dad passed away."
Cowell added that he immediately wanted to speak to Payne's parents after hearing the news.
Simon Cowell is reflecting on Liam Payne's death one year later.
The American Idol alum, who helped launch the late singer's career with The X Factor, recalled his first thoughts after learning Payne had died at 31 in October 2024.
"Somebody who works with me very closely came into my room," Cowell told The New York Times in an interview published Saturday. "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. And it was like — wow."
Cowell said his reaction to Payne's death reminded him of another significant loss. "It was a bit like I felt when I heard the news when my dad passed away," he said. "It's very difficult to put into words how you feel. It's just shock. At that point, you're not really thinking clearly."
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Simon Cowell on Sept. 16, 2025; Liam Payne
The record executive also felt an urgent responsibility to contact Payne's family. "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?'" Cowell recalled. "Because, God, as a parent, what that must have felt like. I knew his mum and dad, and I wanted to reach out, just to say how I felt. It was just awful, awful."
Cowell also thought about a meeting he'd recently had with Payne. "I remember seeing him walk into this room and saying: 'God, you look amazing, Liam. What have you done?'" he recalled. "[He said,] 'Well, I'm going to the gym' … We talked about his son and how much it means to be a dad."
He continued, "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 … We just hung out as friends. That's why I was so shocked and surprised when I heard the news."
Cowell first met Payne when he auditioned for The X Factor in 2008, when the singer was just 14 years old. The judge encouraged him to return to the show two years later, and remained impressed with Payne when he came back to the show in 2010.
After a suggestion from guest judge Nicole Scherzinger, Cowell united Payne with fellow contestants Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson to form One Direction, who continued competing on the show as a group until they were eliminated in the final episode of season 7. Cowell then signed One Direction to his label Syco Records.
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One Direction's Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan in 2014
Cowell previously mourned Payne following his death last year, after the singer fell from a third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.
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"You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens," Cowell wrote on social media at the time. "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."
He continued, "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 recently dismissed the idea that he was somehow to blame for Payne's death. "The idea that you are essentially responsible for somebody's life, 10 years after you've signed someone? You can't do that," he said on Rolling Stone's podcast Music Now. "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."
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
