Simon Cowell has finally shared more details about the moment he learned of protégée Liam Payne's death, after some fans and former X Factor contestants blamed him for the troubled singer's death.
Former One Direction star Payne, 31, died in November last year after tragically falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, following years of struggling with substance use and his mental health.
Payne's musical talent was discovered by record executive and TV judge Simon Cowell on the UK's X Factor in 2010, where he encouraged five young solo singers to come together as One Direction - which went on to sell 70 million records and rack up 21 billion streams.
A preliminary coroner's report indicates that the young singer died as the result of 'polytrauma', the multiple serious injuries inflicted by his fall from a third-floor balcony, with the inquest now postponed until May 2026 and investigations ongoing in Argentina on the circumstances leading to the singer's death.
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The 66-year-old executive recalled that dark moment in October 2024 when he was told that the young lad he had nurtured the career of had been found dead, in a podcast released by the New York Times yesterday.
It was late in the evening when news of the fall broke in the UK, with very little information other than that the star could be seriously injured. But Cowell was informed directly of the tragedy in Argentina, and was told to sit down first.
“Somebody who works with me very closely came into my room,” he said.
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“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.”
Despite swirling online criticism about Cowell and his role in building Payne into a worldwide star, he made clear in his interview that he was just devastated by the news.
“It was like — wow,” he said. “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.”
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After getting to know every member of One Direction from their teen years into early adulthood, Cowell's knee jerk reaction was to speak to the people who had trusted him with their son all those years ago.
The record exec added: “At that point, you’re not really thinking clearly. 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 claimed that he rejects any criticism or blame being laid at his door in the aftermath of the 31-year-old's death in a separate interview this week, where he also said he could not be held responsible.
His comments came after Katie Waissel, who appeared with Payne on the 2010 series of The X Factor, tweeted: "If Simon Cowell dare put a statement out on the heart wrenching, tragic loss of my dear and darling friend Liam, he would be a fool. We all know the truth… and I’ll be sure it all comes out."
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Cowell said: “I don’t read any of this stuff because if I did, you would just torture yourself.
"The idea that you are essentially responsible for somebody’s life, 10 years after you’ve signed someone? You can’t do that.”
In the wake of his protégée's fatal fall, Cowell said in an emotional tribute: “Liam, I am 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.”
Topics: Liam Payne, Simon Cowell, Mental Health
William Morgan