Simon Cowell addresses the public conversation surrounding Liam Payne’s death and claims he played a role in it.
In a new interview on the Rolling Stones music now podcast, the 66-year-old producer made it clear that he doesn’t accept the idea that he was responsible for the pressure placed on One Direction or for what happened to Payne years after the band’s rise to fame.
Cowell said he actively avoids reading comments that accuse him of responsibility.
“I don’t read any of that because if I did, you would torture yourself,” he explained.
He added: “The idea that you’re basically responsible for someone’s life, 10 years after you sign someone? You can’t do that.”
One Direction, formed on The X factor in 2010, became a global star after signing with Cowell’s Syco Records.
As conversations resurface following Payne’s tragic death in 2024, former member Louis Tomlinson also defended the team behind the group, saying he never blamed anyone for the demanding workload.
“Was it really hard work? Yes. Didn’t we have enough days off? Yes,” Tomlinson said. The Independent in October, reflecting on their hectic years.
Cowell shared that learning of Payne’s passing “really hit him,” especially since they had talked about it a year prior.
During this conversation, the two talked about fatherhood and life beyond the music industry. Payne was the father of her son Bear, while Cowell shares son Eric with fiancée Lauren Silverman.
Cowell remembers advising Payne at the time: “Music isn’t everything. Don’t let it rule your life anymore. Find something else you’re passionate about.”
It made Payne think about difficult questions, wondering if he could have done more or how life might have turned out if the singer had never been in the band.
He recently contacted Payne’s parents, Geoff and Karen, who told him their son had been “so proud of what he had achieved”.
Cowell said he wishes he could “turn back time,” recalling that the last time they spoke, Payne seemed to be “in a really good place.”
Liam Payne died at age 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires in October 2024.
Toxicology results showed alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants in his system at the time.
