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,

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 is mourning the loss of Liam Payne as tributes to the late One Direction singer continue to pour in.