Simon Cowell Breaks Silence And Slams Blame Over Liam Payne's Death

Simon Cowell is choosing to rise above any sense of guilt over Liam Payne's tragic death.

The record executive is absolving himself of any ties to the late musician's death and urging everyone trying to attach his name to it to desist. At the same time, he focuses on the beautiful memories he shared with the singer.

Simon Cowell and Liam Payne's history began on "The X Factor" in 2008, when he first dismissed Payne and then reunited him with four other contestants to form the famous One Direction band in 2010.

The music mogul explained in his Rolling Stone interview that while he struggled to cope with the loss of the musician, he would not be blamed for his death. Cowell emphasized that it has been over a decade since he signed One Direction to a music deal.

The mogul noted that he pays no mind to speculations and reports like that which may suggest that he had something to do with Payne's death. Cowell stressed that he is not into the practice of self-torture and would not play into the blame game.

The reality show legend added that he reached out to Cowell's parents recently and they told him how proud the late singer was of his achievements since breaking into the limelight at age 14.

He stated in the interview that he also felt the same satisfaction from the singer when they met a year before his death. However, Cowell recalled warning him about his attachment to music and how he needs to find his spark in another activity, so music does not eat him up.

Payne had quite the reputation in Hollywood before his death, and he has faced criticism over some of his comments about the One Direction band members. Despite this, The Blast shared that his pal, Louis Tomilson, decided to make it his mission to clear up a few things about his friend's reputation.

The "Night Changes" singer spilled in the interview that everyone in Payne's close circle knew that people judged him harshly and unfairly. He stated that his late friend had the best of intentions, even when his words got misconstrued by the public.

"If there is ever any judgment on his character, I think nine times out of 10, you can reflect on that, and the reflection is that he was someone who just wanted to be liked," the singer added.

Tomilson was also front row in Payne's defense following his 2022 controversial interview on Logan Paul's podcast. He described the late singer as the most crucial member of One Direction with talent and a wealth of experience.

For the rest of the once famous and revered band, what was supposed to be a nostalgic occasion of their 15th anniversary became a rather painful one due to the death of Payne. Tomilson was probably the worst hit of the band, as he explained that the milestone felt so gloomy without the singer's warm presence.

While Tomilson has coped with grief before, a loss of this magnitude dealt a blow to his emotions, bringing him to a place of sadness and frustration that Payne was not around to share that moment with them.

On the upside, the singer's death has now reunited the group, strengthening their bond through constant check-ups and an alleged reunion performance to honor the wonderful vocalist. The One Direction boys have mostly maintained a distance relationship since they split in 2016, with each building their solo careers.

Cowell and his partner, Lauren Silverman, attended the event to pay their last respects to the singer and also console members of his family. Payne's funeral took place in Buckinghamshire, about a month after he died from a nasty fall from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Clips from the funeral circulated online, and some fans quickly picked a bone with the mogul's conduct at the program. A particular video showed Cowell finding comfort in the arms of Payne's dad as he broke down in tears in the middle of the funeral. 

Several commenters slammed the music mogul for daring to be emotional after he allegedly failed to protect the singer while he and the other boys were under his wings.

Payne's former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik attended the service, alongside his girlfriend Kate Cassidy and baby mom, Cheryl.

The 66-year-old, back in 2023, opened up that after spending months in lockdown, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he finally saw therapy as a means to regain everything he had lost psychologically. 

As shared by The Blast, Cowell confessed that he had initially thought the concept of therapy was exaggerated due to watching the process through TV screens and movies.

Unfortunately for him, the constant news about his friends coming down with illnesses linked to COVID triggered his anxiety, and he knew it was only right to seek external help. 

After hitting the ground running on getting adequate professional intervention, the entrepreneur stressed that he should have done it sooner, adding that he felt as if a weight had just been lifted off his shoulders.

Cowell noted that he gained much-needed insights and a refreshed perspective from the process, which reshaped his priorities on much better things rather than his long-standing habit of placing so much attention on TV ratings.

Liam Payne's death is really a hard pill to swallow for his loved ones!