Simon Cowell opens up on One Direction star Liam Payne's death

In an interview with The New York Times, Cowell described the moment he learned of the ‘awful’ news while filming his upcoming docuseries ‘Simon Cowell; The Next Act’.

He recalled: “Somebody who works with me very closely came into my room.

“I could tell by the look of her face that she was upset. She said, ‘Sit down’, and she told me.”

The music mogul said he had been in the north of England at the time, shooting the series, which follows him auditioning and training a group of teenagers to be in his new boy band.

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He added: “It’s very difficult to put into words how you feel. It’s just shock. At that point, you’re not really thinking clearly.

“I just remember saying: ‘I really need to speak to his mum and dad. Can you get them on the phone as soon as possible please?’

"Because, God, as a parent, what that must have felt like. It was just awful, awful.”

Payne died aged 31 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires while visiting the city during former bandmate Niall Horan’s tour.

His cause of death was recorded as polytrauma, with investigators confirming multiple injuries consistent with a high-height fall.

Toxicology reports later found traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant.

Cowell has also addressed recent criticism directed at him in the wake of Payne’s death.

He rejected suggestions that he bore responsibility for the pressures faced by his former acts, saying: "The idea that you are essentially responsible for somebody’s life, 10 years after you’ve signed someone? You can’t do that.”

He added: “You’re signing a lot of artists […] you get the right production team, get the managers and try and make them successful.

“But they leave the nest. You always say you’re available when you need to be, but you can’t follow them everywhere.

“Obviously, you always think, What if I’d said this? What if I had said that? But there’s only so much you can do with any artist.

“If you just have one artist in your life, maybe, but I’m not a manager. My job is to run the label. And you just hope that they are successful and happy.”

His comments follow criticism from former X factor contestant Katie Waissel, who appeared with Payne on the 2010 series.

In a tweet, she said: "If Simon Cowell dare put a statement out on the heart wrenching, tragic loss of my dear and darling friend Liam, he would be a fool. We all know the truth… and I’ll be sure it all comes out."

Cowell said he avoids reading such comments: “I don’t read any of this stuff because if I did, you would just torture yourself.

Following Payne’s death, Cowell issued an emotional tribute: “Liam, I am devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty. And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.”