Simon Cowell is looking back at Liam Payne‘s death.
The former One Direction singer tragically passed away on October 16, 2024 after fatally falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31-years-old. According to a toxicology report, he had traces of various drugs in his system at the time.
In a new interview, Simon – who helped launch Liam‘s career with The X Factor – recalled his first thoughts after learning about the late singer’s passing.
Keep reading to find out more…“Somebody who works with me very closely came into my room,” Simon told The New York Times. “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.”
The American Idol alum said that his reaction to Liam‘s death reminded him of how he felt when he learned that his own father had died.
“It was a bit like I felt when I heard the news when my dad passed away,” Simon 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.”
He also said that he felt an urgent responsibility to contact Liam‘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?’” Simon 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.”
Also in the interview, Simon looked back at a meeting he had with Liam not long before his passing.
“I remember seeing him walk into this room and saying: ‘God, you look amazing, Liam. What have you done?’” Simon 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.”
In another recent interview, Simon responded to people blaming him for Liam’s death.
