Simon Cowell says he is "empty" as he pays tribute to One Direction's Liam Payne

18 October 2024, 20:58 | Updated: 18 October 2024, 22:02

Simon Cowell has paid tribute to Liam Payne. Picture: Getty

By Hope Wilson

X Factor judge Simon Cowell has paid tribute to One Direction singer Liam Payne after he passed away aged 31.

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Simon Cowell paid tribute to the One Direction star, saying he is "heartbroken" and feels "empty" following the singer's death.

Cowell, who created the group on The X Factor in 2010, remembered Payne as "kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful [and] talented".

"Liam, I am devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty," he wrote.

"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.

"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."

Following this tragic loss Simon cancelled his Britain's Got Talent auditions which were meant to take place on Thursday the 17th of October.

Liam Payne's amazing X Factor auditions from 2008 and 2010 remembered

This comes after One Direction released a joint statement saying they were "devastated" by Liam's passing.

Since then, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik have posted separate moving tributes to their former bandmate on social media.

Simon first met the singing superstar back in 2008 when a 14-year-old Liam auditioned for the X Factor. The young star delighted the music mogul and fellow judges– Cheryl, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh– with his rendition of Frank Sinatra's 'Fly Me to the Moon.'

Simon Cowell was a strong supporter of One Direction. Picture: Alamy

After being eliminated during Boot Camp, the singer was brought back by Simon to judge's houses. Although he didn't make it to the live shows, Liam was encouraged to return in the future and re-audition.

Now aged 16, Liam returned to the show in 2010 where he blew the judges away singing 'Cry Me a River'. Despite being a strong solo artist, the judges believed he would be better suited as part of a group. This was when One Direction was formed with Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.

The band eventually finished third in the competition, but went on to become a global phenomenon, selling millions of records worldwide.

In 2015 Zayn chose to leave the band, with the remaining four singers remaining part of One Direction until 2016 when they announced their hiatus.

Simon Cowell first met Liam Payne back in 2008. Picture: Alamy

After Liam's sad passing had been announced, the X Factor Instagram account posted a tribute to the star, writing: "Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him. We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne.

"He was immensely talented and, as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world."

Former X Factor host Dermot O'Leary shared a poignant black and white image of himself and Liam with the caption: "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.

"He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble."Sending love and prayers to his family. Dx"

Read more: Liam Payne and son Bear's relationship including first moments to last picture
Read more: Liam Payne's family break silence following One Direction star's tragic death

Simon Cowell helped form One Direction. Picture: Getty

Fellow X Factor star Olly Murs posted: "This news is devastating, am lost for words 😣 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 days and the tour we shared together.

"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 x am thinking of them! RIP Liam 🙏🏻😣"