Following the tragic death of Liam Payne, the man who discovered the singer and One Direction, Simon Cowell has shared his tribute for him. The singer/songwriter died on October 16 after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31 years old. Tons of tributes for Payne have poured in since then, including statements from his bandmates, and now, the X-Factor judge has shared an emotional message about this tragic loss.
Much like the members of One Direction, Cowell took to Instagram to post about Liam Payne. He noted that he's "truly devastated" by this news, and he proceeded to write a three-slide long tribute about the singer, which started with:
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. Every tear I have shed is in memory of you.
The AGT judge continued his statement by saying that explaining how he feels right now is “difficult.” However, he went on to describe Payne as “kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble” and “focused.” He also praised his love of music.
Continuing his message, Cowell reflected on meeting Liam Payne in 2008 when he was only 14 years old on X-Factor, writing:
I had to tell you when you were 14 that this wasn’t your time. And 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. And you never forgot the fans. I watched you spending so much time with people who had wanted to meet you. You really cared.
As the judge noted, in 2008, the singer auditioned for the British singing competition for the first time. He was cut during boot camp, then saved by Cowell before getting cut again. As the judge noted in his post, he encouraged the singer to come back in two years, and he did.
In 2010, he auditioned again, that’s also when Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson came into the picture, and One Direction was formed on X-Factor. While their partnership wasn’t perfect, Cowell loved working with the guys, and all of them reached incredible levels of success because of the boyband.
The former American Idol judge even said a while back that he would love a 1D reunion while praising how well all five guys were doing with their solo careers.
Cowell also noted in his statement that he had met with Payne last year, and they reconnected on a personal level. He wrote about loving how much the singer loved being a dad, and through that meeting he was “reminded that you were still the sweet, kind boy” he met all those years ago.
You can read Simon Cowell’s full statement below:
Overall, this candid and detailed post from the judge shows how much he cares for Liam Payne and the guys of One Direction.
Throughout the last few days, it’s been heartwarming and emotional to see so many show their love for Liam Payne and his family. However, the messages from Cowell, Horan, Tomlinson, Malik and Styles hit the hardest, because they were all so close, and their working together marked such a significant moment in both their lives and pop culture history.
We here at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences out to the singer’s family and loved ones during this tragic time.