Simon Cowell Steps Down From ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ Over Liam Payne’s Death

Liam PaynePhoto byLiam Payne via DepositPhotos

Simon Cowell is stepping away from recording 'Britain's Got Talent' after hearing of Liam Payne’s death.

Liam Payne was a former singer for 'One Direction'. He died on Oct. 16 after tumbling 45’ from the 3rd floor of the Buenos Aires’ Casa Sur Hotel, which left fans in shock.

According to The Sun, the show paused production right after Liam’s death and is scheduled to resume recording with Bruno Tonioli filling in to replace Simon Cowell while he mourns.

Cowell mentored Payne, which led to the formation of One Direction

Video courtesy: Liam Payne's Audition: EXTENDED CUT | The X Factor UK by The X Factor UK

Cowell's history of mentoring Payne started when the singer originally auditioned for 'The X Factor', then again in 2010, leading to the formation of ‘One Direction.’

In the show's 7th season, Liam joined Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson to complete the band.

The band released 5 studio albums, which included one without Zayn, before they took a break in January of 2016.

Simon is reportedly "shocked and devastated" by this news.

A source told The Sun that “this news has hit” Cowell very hard - “he’s…devastated and shocked.” 

The source added that Simon “adored Liam,” and was very close to his family. According to the source, Simon did not feel it was right to continue recording at this time.

The source concluded by saying Simon “didn’t feel it was” appropriate to continue… filming BGT;... when it resumes on Saturday,” and he doesn’t feel he will “be in the right headspace” to go on.

As Simon mourns the death of a friend, his fellow judges, which  includes KSI, Alesha Dixon, and Amanda Holden, along with crew members, have shown Cowell a lot of support.

'The X Factor' on Thursday, shared a tribute to Liam Payne on X:

Photo courtesy: The X Factor Twitter

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