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.

Simon Cowell, who played an integral role in the rise of One Direction in the early 2010s, has issued a statement expressing condolences regarding Liam Payne’s death. “You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens,

X Factor' judges Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Cheryl Cole paid tribute to One Direction singer Liam Payne, who died Wednesday at age 31.