For the first time, Simon Cowell has openly spoken out about the tragic death of English musician Liam Payne. The America’s Got Talent judge described his grieving process following the late vocalist’s passing.
Simon Cowell, who first met Liam Payne during The X Factor auditions in 2010, revealed that he felt the need to “disappear” after hearing the news. Speaking on the Daily Mail’s Tales From the celebrity podcast, the 66-year-old stated, “What do you do in a situation like that? It was so bad; I was in pieces. There were so many things going on in my head.” He continued, “I literally just disappeared somewhere for a week to think everything through because I knew I was really, really struggling.”
The tragedy was reportedly even more painful because Simon Cowell was working closely with young talent at the time. His current “responsibility” involves mentoring aspiring stars while filming the Netflix series The Next Act, a show dedicated to finding the next world-ruling boy band, similar to One Direction.
Notably, while Liam, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, and Niall Horan did not win The X Factor, they were signed to Cowell’s Syco record label and achieved international superstardom with hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Best Song Ever.”