Simon Cowell recently shared how he learned of Liam Payne’s tragic death in October 2024, recounting the moment during a performance with his new boy band in the documentary series *Simon Cowell: The Next Act*.
“A close colleague of mine entered my room,” Cowell, 66, explained in Saturday’s episode. “I noticed her expression right away; she was clearly upset. She said, ‘Sit down,’ and then broke the news to me.”
Cowell, who originally discovered Payne and formed the immensely popular boy band One Direction during *The X Factor*, expressed his disbelief at the news.
“I thought, wow,” he said. “It felt somewhat similar to when I got the news about my father’s passing. Finding the words to express my feelings is tough. I’m just in shock.”
“In such moments, you can’t think clearly. I remember asking, ‘I really need to talk to his parents. Can you please get them on the phone as soon as you can?'”
This episode aired shortly after Cowell addressed online backlash suggesting he had exerted excessive pressure on Payne and his bandmates that could have contributed to Payne’s death.
“I try to avoid reading those kinds of books because they’d just torment me. The thought that, even a decade after signing someone, you’re responsible for their entire life? That’s impossible,” Cowell remarked on the *Rolling Stone Music Now* podcast earlier this week.
Liam Payne passed away on October 16, 2024, at just 31 years old, after falling from the balcony of his hotel room on the third floor of the Casasul Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, suffering “extremely serious injuries.”
Following Payne’s death, Cowell was among the first to publicly honor the young artist.
“You often don’t realize your feelings for someone until you’re faced with a moment like this,” Cowell wrote on social media.
“Liam, I’m heartbroken,” he continued. “I feel empty. I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I shed is a memory of you.”
Cowell was later seen comforting Payne’s parents at the funeral in the UK in November 2024.
The cause of Payne’s death was eventually determined to be multiple injuries that resulted in both internal and external bleeding.
After his passing, authorities discovered both alcohol and drugs in Payne’s hotel room. Ultimately, five individuals were charged in relation to his death, including the hotel manager, the receptionist, and a friend of Payne’s. All three faced manslaughter charges.
Additionally, two hotel employees were charged with supplying drugs to Payne, who had previously undergone rehab multiple times to battle addiction.
