‘X Factor’ judges Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Cheryl Cole paid tribute to One Direction singer Liam Payne, who died Wednesday at age 31.
Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Sharon Osbourne paid tribute to late One Direction singer Liam Payne, who rose to fame on the U.K. reality competition “X Factor” for which they served as judges.
“You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens,” Cowell wrote in a statement posted Friday on Instagram. “Liam, I am truly 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.”
The former “American Idol” judge and music producer expressed how difficult it was to put his feelings into words, adding that he has been thinking about his time with Payne since the 31-year-old died Wednesday after falling from the third floor of a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. Payne died from multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding after the fall, Argentine officials said Thursday, noting that they found substances in Payne’s hotel room that appeared to be drugs, as well as evidence of alcohol and narcotics consumption. The singer’s unexpected death shocked fans around the world.
In his statement, Cowell said what he would always tell people who asked him what the singer was like.
“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,” Cowell said. He also reflected on telling a 14-year-old Payne in 2008 “that this wasn’t your time” during his first go-around on “X Factor” and promising him that they would meet again. Cowell applauded Payne for not giving up, noting that within months, “The whole world knew Liam.”
One Direction formed in 2010 after each of the group’s five would-be members failed to advance as solo artists on the British talent show that Cowell produced. Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik were put into a quintet instead, where the judges felt they would thrive. And they did.
Although One Direction came in third place during Season 7 of “The X Factor,” Cowell signed the group to his Syco Entertainment record label. They released their debut album in 2011 and became a global phenomenon, drawing comparisons to the Beatles. The “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Story of My Life” hitmakers released four more albums and launched four headlining tours before disbanding in 2015 after Malik left the group, citing stress among the reasons for his departure.
