Cowell created and judged “The X Factor,” the show on which he and fellow judges put together Payne’s band, One Direction, in 2010.

Simon Cowell, who helped form One Direction on The X Factor UK in 2010, broke his silence on Payne’s death on Friday, October 18. “Liam, I am truly devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty,” he wrote in a statement.

The globally successful band that included Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik were first formed on Cowell's reality show, 'The X-Factor', in 2010.