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Simon Cowell Says ‘I Feel Empty’ After Liam Payne’s Death: ‘Every Tear I Have Shed Is a Memory of You’
Becca Longmire, Jack Irvin
October 19, 2024 at 12:06 AM
The former ‘X Factor’ judge and One Direction co-creator shared an emotional tribute on social media
Simon Cowell is paying tribute to Liam Payne after the One Direction singer’s death at age 31.
Payne was pronounced dead after falling multiple stories at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday, Oct. 16, Policía Federal Argentina confirmed to PEOPLE.
As tributes continue to pour in around the world, One Direction’s co-creator Cowell, 65 — who helped launch the band’s career on The X Factor U.K. back in 2010 — shared a statement to Instagram on Oct. 18.
“You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens,” he wrote. “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.”
“This is so difficult to put into words right now,” added Cowell. “I went outside today, and I thought about so many times we had together. I wanted to let you know what I would always say to the thousands of people who would always ask me. What is Liam like?”
He explained, “And I would tell them you were kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble, focused. And how much you loved music. And how much love you genuinely had for the fans.”
Cowell recalled working with Payne on The X Factor. “I had to tell you when you were 14 that this wasn’t your time. And we both made a promise that we would meet again. A lot of people would have given up. You didn’t,” he said. “You came back and within months the whole world knew Liam. And you never forgot the fans. I watched you spending so much time with people who had wanted to meet you. You really cared.”
The Syco Records founder then spoke about spending time with the “Strip That Down” musician last year — “Not for a meeting. Just to sit and talk,” he explained.
“And we reminisced about all of the fun times we had together. And how proud you were to be a Dad. After you left, I was reminded that you were still the sweet, kind boy I had met all of those years ago. I have met your son, Bear. He has your smile and that twinkle in his eye that you have,” said Cowell. “And he will be so proud of everything you have achieved. And how you achieved it.”
To conclude the note, the former American Idol judge spoke about One Direction. “I always thought of the 5 of you in the band as brothers. And regarding their messages today I believe you were,” wrote Cowell. “And now Liam, I can see the effect you had on so many people. Because you left too soon.”
“Rest in peace my friend,” he said. “And I am sending my love, thoughts and prayers to your family.”
Cowell and X Factor guest judge, Nicole Scherzinger, played a major role in forming One Direction after Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson all auditioned for the show separately.
You can own a mountain in LA — it will cost $1 billion
Published Mon, Jul 30 20186:00 AM EDTUpdated Mon, Jul 30 201812:14 PM EDT
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Key Points
- The property was purchased by the sister of the shah of Iran in the 1970s and then sold to Merv Griffin.
- Land prices in Beverly Hills and LA’s “Golden Triangle” have skyrocketed in recent years, as spec builders and homebuyers battle for the best perches above Los Angeles.
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VIDEO01:27
Tour the most expensive estate in America
A giant parcel of land at the top of Beverly Hills aims to become the most expensive real estate ever sold, with a price tag of $1 billion — with a “B.”
The property, called The Mountain, is 157 acres and sits on the highest point in the 90210 ZIP code. One owner could buy the property and build a 1.5-million-square-foot compound — with three structures of up to 500,000 square feet.
Its southern views range from downtown LA to Orange County, Catalina Island and Santa Monica. It’s only five minutes from the Beverly Hills Hotel, but the nearest neighbor is over a half-mile away, offering convenience and privacy.
The property also comes with a private road and millions of dollars in land improvements, including a 16-foot-tall stone security gate, landscape lighting and more than 500 trees.
“This is the only opportunity to own your own mountain that looks down at all of Los Angeles,” said Aaron Kirman, the broker representing the property. “Our likely buyer is an individual who wants to build his or her own compound.”
Source: Aaron Kirman
Land prices in Beverly Hills and LA’s “Golden Triangle” have skyrocketed in recent years, as spec builders and homebuyers battle for the best perches above Los Angeles to build their dream homes. Evan Metropoulos, whose family owns Twinkies, paid $65 million for the 2-acre former Danny Thomas estate in Beverly Hills, which will become the site of a new home.
Yet as luxury housing slows and foreign buyers fade, it remains to be seen whether anyone will pay near $1 billion for a piece of land.
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VIDEO01:30
America’s most expensive property is $1 billion
The Mountain has been shopped around and has a troubled past. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the property was purchased by the sister of the shah of Iran in the 1970s, and then sold to Merv Griffin. Herbalife founder Mark Hughes then stepped in and bought it for $8.7 million in 1997, making it the most expensive property sold in America at the time, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Hughes died suddenly in 2000, leaving it to a trust. The trust sold it to a company called Tower Park Properties, which included among its investors a mystery Middle Eastern investor and a convicted felon, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In 2015, Tower Park Properties began quietly marketing the property for $1 billion, with its own sales website. Later in 2015, the company denied the property had never been listed.
A massive court battle between the trust and Tower Park led to the property being transferred in 2015 to a company called Secured Capital Partners, which is currently selling the property. The marketing materials say Victorino Noval, who was general manager of Secured Capital Partners and had been part of Tower Park Properties, “has no responsibilities with respect to this property.”
The marketing materials say his son, Franco Noval, is the “manager of the LLC that owns the property.”
Victorino Noval pleaded guilty to tax evasion and mail fraud in 1997 and went to federal prison for three years. A lawsuit last year accused him of fraud, but was dismissed in May.
Ronald Richards, a lawyer for Secured Capital Partners, said in an email to CNBC that the most recent fraud lawsuit was “meritless” and had no relationship to The Mountain property.
