Getty ImagesSimon Cowell has paid tribute to One Direction star Liam Payne, saying he is “heartbroken” and feels “empty” following the singer’s death.
Cowell, who took the group on The X Factor in 2010, remembered Payne as “kind, funny, sweet and thoughtful. [and] talented”.
“Liam, I’m devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty,” he wrote.
Payne, 31, died Wednesday when he fell from the balcony of the third-floor hotel room where he was staying in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In an Instagram post, Cowell added: “And I want you to know how much I love you and respect you. Every tear I shed is a memory of you.”
The talent contest judge also said he reflected on their time together.
“I want to tell you what I always tell thousands of people who always ask me. What kind of person is Liam?
“And I would tell them how kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble, focused person you are. And how much you love music. And how much you really love your fans.” how much.”
Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, also paid tribute to the star, who she called “my angel” and added that she was “completely lost”.
“You are everything,” she said in a statement.
“I want you to know that I have loved you completely and unconditionally. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life.”
It happened when Payne’s father, Geoff Payne, arrived at the morgue in Buenos Aires where his son’s body was taken on Friday afternoon.
Argentine authorities said a family member needed to identify Payne’s body before it could be released and repatriated to Britain.
Getty ImagesIn Cowell’s statement, he also recalled Payne’s first X Factor audition in 2008, at the age of 14, when Cowell told the up-and-coming singer that he wasn’t ready and would return in two years.
“A lot of people would have given up but not you. You’re back and in just a few months the whole world will know Liam.
“And you never forget the fans. I’ve seen you spend a lot of time with people who want to see you. You really care.”
Cowell eventually signed One Direction to his record label and was the mastermind of their global success before they split in 2016.
The music mogul also revealed that Payne visited him last year.
“Not for a meeting. Just to sit and talk. And we reminisced about all the fun times we had together. And how proud you are to be a dad,” he wrote .
“After you left, I remembered that you’re still the same sweet, kind boy I met many years ago.”
He added: “I met your son, Bear. He has your smile and the sparkle in your eyes. And he would be so proud of everything you’ve achieved. And how you’ve achieved it. It.”
Cowell’s tribute comes after Payne’s former bandmates posted their own heartfelt memories.
“I always considered the five people in the band like brothers,” Cowell continued. “And about their message today, I believe you are too.
“And now Liam, I can see the influence you have on so many people. Because you left us too soon.”
Also on Friday, Payne’s bandmate Niall Horan posted a tribute, saying he was “absolutely devastated” by the “passing of his wonderful friend”.
Harry Styles previously said he was “heartbroken” for the Payne family. He added: “His greatest joy was making others happy and it was an honor to be by his side as he did that.”
Louis Tomlinson echoed Styles’ views, describing Liam as “the most important part of One Direction” who has “a gift for writing”.
Zayn Malik spoke directly to Payne in his statement, praising him for his “positive outlook and reassuring smile”.
Others posting their reactions included another former X Factor judge, Sharon Osbourne, who messaged Payne that the music business “let you down”.
“Where is the industry when you need them?” she wrote.
“You were just a child entering one of the world’s toughest industries. Who is by your side? Rest in peace my friend.”
