The former 'X Factor' judge and One Direction co-creator shared an emotional tribute on social media Simon Cowell is paying tribute to Liam Payne after the One Direction singer's death at age 31. Payne was pronounced dead after falling multiple stories at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires,

Simon Cowell, who played an integral role in the rise of One Direction in the early 2010s, has issued a statement expressing condolences regarding Liam Payne’s death. “You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens,

Cowell created and judged “The X Factor,” the show on which he and fellow judges put together Payne’s band, One Direction, in 2010.