Simon Cowell's emotional tribute to One Direction's Liam Payne after his tragic death(Image: FilmMagic)

Simon Cowell says he feels 'empty', 'devastated' and heartrbroken in tear-jerking tribute to Liam Payne

Music guru Simon Cowell was the first to give the late Liam Payne his big break in the music industry when he formed One Direction on The X Factor in 2010

by · Irish Mirror

Music mogul Simon Cowell has paid tribute to Liam Payne following the One Direction singer's death in Argentina.

Liam died at the age of 31 on Wednesday after falling from the third floor of a hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Local police said the Strip That Down singer fell from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel before medics confirmed his death.

Taking to Instagram, Simon said: "You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens. 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.

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"This is so difficult to put into words right now. I went outside today, and I thought about so many times we had together. 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."

Simon Cowell has paid tribute to Liam Payne following his death aged 31(Image: FilmMagic)

The music boss continued: "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. You came to see me last year. Not for a meeting. Just to sit and talk. And we reminisced about all of the fun times we had together. And how proud you were to be a Dad. After you left, I was reminded that you were still the sweet, kind boy I had met all of those years ago.

"I have met your son, Bear. He has your smile and that twinkle in his eye that you have. And he will be so proud of everything you achieved. And how you achieved it. I always thought the 5 of you in the band as brothers. And regarding their messages today I believe you were. And now Liam, I can see the effect you had on so many people. Because you left us too soon. Rest in peace my friend. And I am sending my love, thoughts and prayers to your family. Simon X."

Simon and Liam have previously spoken of their fractured relationship(Image: Getty Images)
Liam found fame as one fifth of One Direction on The X Factor(Image: Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal)

Simon first met the late singer when Liam was a young teenager dreaming of stardom. Liam was just 14 years old when he auditioned for The X Factor in 2008, wowing judge Simon so much he was asked to return two years later. At 16, he initially auditioned as a solo act but was given a second chance to form what became one of the talent show’s biggest success stories – One Direction.

Despite winning over audiences around the world, One Direction came third in the competition behind Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle. In footage of the moment the band was formed in 2010, judge Nicole Scherzinger pointed out that Liam "actually may be the leader" as he was paired with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.

Simon Cowell with Liam Payne and the rest of the One Direction boys ahead of the 2010 X Factor final(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)

One Direction released five studio albums and won seven Brit Awards, including for their 2012 debut hit What Makes You Beautiful, to the track History from their last album in 2015, released months after Zayn left the group. The band attempted to continue without Zayn after he announced he wanted "some private time out of the spotlight" in March 2015, but they went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016. Their last televised performance together was in December 2015, despite years of reunion rumours.

Dermot O'Leary, host of The X Factor, was one of the first to pay tribute to Liam in the wake of his death. The broadcaster shared a photograph of the pair on stage, captioning the Instagram post: "The worst news". "I remember him as a 14-year-old turning up to audition on The X Factor, and blowing us away singing Sinatra. He just loved to sing," Dermot wrote. "He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble".

Singer Olly Murs, who starred on The X Factor a year before One Direction, said on Instagram that he was "lost for words", describing Payne’s death as "devastating". “We always had a good laugh when we saw each other, sometimes the catch ups were only short and sweet but when we did it was mostly about how annoyingly good his hair always looked, or our love for Becks, the old XF (X Factor) days and the tour we shared together," Olly wrote beside a picture of the pair.

"Liam shared the same passions as me, the same dreams so to see his life now end so young hits hard, I’m truly gutted and devastated for his family and of course his son Bear losing a dad."

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