Simon Cowell has paid tribute to One Direction star Liam Payne, saying he is “heartbroken” and feels “empty” following the singer’s death.
Cowell, who put the group together on The X Factor in 2010, remembered Payne as “kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful [and] talented”.
“Liam, I am devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty,” he wrote.
“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.”
Cowell said he had been thinking about the time they had spent together on the talent show and since.
He wrote on Instagram: “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?
“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.”
