Simon Cowell 'truly devastated' by death of Liam Payne: 'Every tear I shed is a memory of you'

Cowell formed One Direction on "The X Factor" in 2010 and masterminded the band's global breakthrough. Now he mourns one of its members.

Simon Cowell is mourning the loss of One Direction member and X Factor contestant Liam Payne after his untimely death at 31.

In a heartfelt statement posted to Instagram on Friday, Cowell wrote, "You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens. Liam, I am truly devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty. 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 continued, "This is so difficult to put in words right now. I went outside today, and I thought about so many times we had together. 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."

Related: Zayn Malik writes moving tribute to 'brother' Liam Payne: 'I will cherish all the memories'

Payne died Wednesday after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, sustaining "multiple traumas" and "internal and external hemorrhages." Authorities told Entertainment Weekly it appeared the singer "had jumped from the balcony of his room."

During Payne's time in Argentina, he had attended a concert by his former bandmate Niall Horan.

Cowell is the one who brought Payne and Horan together in the first place, as he auditioned all the future members of One Direction while serving as a judge on the British music competition series The X Factor. After a promising but unsuccessful solo audition in 2008, Payne was told by Cowell to return in two years. When he did, Cowell was impressed by his growth — "The confidence, the swagger, the charisma, the believability, the voice, the way you look, absolutely on the money."

At the suggestion of guest judge Nicole Scherzinger, Cowell grouped Payne with Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson to form One Direction. After the band placed third in the show's finale, Cowell signed One Direction to his SyCo music label and engineered their international breakthrough.

"I had to tell you when you were 14 that this wasn't your time," Cowell wrote in his statement Friday. "And we both made a promise that we would meet again. A lot of people would have given up. You didn't. You came back and within months the whole world knew Liam. And you never forgot the fans. I watched you spending so much time with people who had wanted to meet you. You really cared."

Payne's One Direction bandmates also released a joint statement and individual statements in the wake of his death. Their joint statement said they were "completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing," while Styles wrote that Payne "lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious."

Related: One Direction's Niall Horan remembers final time he saw bandmate Liam Payne before his 'heartbreaking' death

Tomlinson mentioned Payne's 7-year-old son, Bear, whom he shared with ex Cheryl: "I want you to know that if Bear ever needs me I will be the Uncle he needs in his life and tell him stories of how amazing his dad was."

Cowell also wrote, "I have met your son, Bear. He has your smile and that twinkle in his eyes you have. And he will be so proud of everything you achieved. And how you achieved it."

Cowell concluded his statement by writing, "I always thought of the 5 of you in the band as brothers. And reading their messages today I believe you were. And now Liam, I can see the effect you had on so many people. Because you left us too soon. Rest in peace my friend. And I am sending my love, thoughts and prayers to your family."

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.