Simon Cowell recounted the moment he learned of Liam Payne’s “awful” October 2024 death , sharing that he learned the news while working with a new boy band for his six-part docuseries, “Simon Cowell: The Next Act.”

“Somebody who works with me very closely came into my room,” Cowell, 66, said on Saturday’s episode of the New York Times’ podcast, “The Interview.”

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

Cowell — who discovered Payne and created mega-popular boy band One Direction on his talent competition series, “X-Factor” — said he responded with shock.

“It was like — wow,” he described. “It was a bit like I felt when I heard the news when my dad passed away. It’s very difficult to put in

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