Simon Cowell has responded to those who think he played a role in Liam Payne’s untimely death.
During a recent appearance on the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, Cowell was asked what he thought about people blaming him for Payne’s death, and claimed he put too much pressure on One Direction to help them achieve fame.
“I don’t read any of these books, because if I did, I would just torture myself. The idea that if you sign someone up for 10 years, you’re essentially responsible for their life? You can’t do that,” Cowell said.
Mr Payne, 66, creator of “The X Factor” – the competition show that launched Mr Payne’s former band One Direction in 2010 – came under fire from some after Mr Payne fell from a hotel balcony in Argentina in October last year with multiple drugs in his system.
Payne was 16 when he auditioned for the show for the second time and was later matched with fellow contestants Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles to form One Direction.
Together they finished third in the competition, and Cowell’s label, Psycho Records, signed the band.
During his podcast appearance, Cowell recalled meeting with Payne about a year before his death and giving him some advice.
“I remember saying, ‘Music isn’t everything. Don’t let music run your life anymore. Find something else you’re passionate about,'” Cowell said.
“You ask yourself, ‘Could we have done more? What would have happened to Liam if he hadn’t been in the band?'”
He also recalled thinking at the time that Payne was “in a really good place.”
“Of course I wish I could turn back the clock,” the TV personality said. “When I talked to him that day, I felt really good about him.”
Days after Payne passed away at the age of 31 on October 16, 2024, Cowell was one of the first to pay tribute to the hitmaker.
“You don’t really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens,” Cowell wrote in a social media statement at the time.
“Liam, I’m devastated,” Cowell continued. “My heart is breaking. And I feel empty. And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I shed is a memory of you.”
In a lengthy statement, Cowell recalled that Payne “never forgot about your fans. I saw you spending so much time with people who wanted to see you. You truly cared.”
The music mogul was then seen hugging his parents at Payne’s funeral in the UK in November 2024.
