Simon Cowell breaks cover after Liam Payne's tragic death looking heartbroken

Simon Cowell has broken cover after

in Buenos Aires. Music mogul Simon, 64, mentored One Direction during their time on The X Factor and subsequently signed the five-piece to his record label, Syco, after they finished in third place on the show. Since catapulting to global fame thanks to their boyish personalities and infectious music, the band have sold over 70 million records worldwide.

Although Nicole Scherzinger was the brains behind One Direction's creation, Simon was instrumental in their success after they signed to his record label, Syco. But despite appearing as though Liam, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik were

Simon was seen being driven by his security after it was announced he'd made the decision to halt Britain's Got Talent auditions in the wake of Liam's death. He covered his eyes with a pair of black over-sized Aviator shades as he had a heartbreakingly solemn look on his face.

Simon previously shared his regret after handing the One Direction name to the five lads – meaning he made no profit from them. He told Steven Bartlett on the Diary of a CEO podcast: "One thing I regret, is, I should have kept the name. I should have owned the name." He later confirmed that the band members own the name One Direction, adding: "That's the problem, could have made an animation or whatever but when you give an artist the name, it's not yours and that's my only regret.

"So if you're listening, I'll buy it back from you. But that's the only thing I do regret. If one of the band members, for whatever reason say they don't want to tour, it can stop the others touring, so if it was me who owned the name, it wouldn't be a problem." He had previously suggested a feud between some members of him and One Direction, explaining that Harry, Louis and Niall had been "incredibly loyal" after Liam Payne signed a record deal away from Syco. Meanwhile, Payne has previously spoken about his time in the band and how the lads had been overworked.

Liam said: "We [One Direction] were definitely overworked. I had no personal life, I learnt nothing about myself. I just lived so long as this reclusive pop star who was afraid of people, who just stayed inside all the time. I needed to stop, definitely. It would have killed me."

Simon's comments on owning One Direction and not being able to cash in them sparked outrage across the globe. Ashton Irwin, the drummer of 5 Seconds of Summer who previously toured with One Direction and were later listed as directors on 5SOS' company, 5SOS LLP has also taken to social media to criticise Simon. In view of his 5.9 million followers on X, Irwin said: "The worst."

"This man, and this single statement, embodies everything wrong with the music [and entertainment] industry," said one follower. While a second penned: "Well damn it a good thing they owned the name then." Liam was holidaying in the Latin American country with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, but she had returned to her hometown in Florida just before his devastating death.

Police, firefighters and ambulances were seen outside of a hotel building after Liam tragically fell. Police are said to have been called to reports of a man acting aggressively at the hotel who could be under the effect of drink or drugs. on his death and states his was consistent with a ten meter fall he suffered from the balcony of his room, located on the third floor of the Casa Sur hotel on Godoy Cruz Street. The report stated a toxicological and anatomical-pathological study of his blood and urine were being undertaken to determine whether there were any traces of drugs. Additionally, the musician's medical history might be requested to analyse his mental health history.

Currently, an investigation is being led by Prosecutor No. 16, which is headed by Andrés Madrea. Testimonies are being taken by Deputy Secretary María Florencia Lavaggi. The full autopsy results will be revealed in due course. Staff from the Mobile Criminalistics Unit of the City Police of Buenos Aires collected forensic evidence from Liam's room at the hotel he was staying at. Police discovered a bottle of whiskey, a lighter, a phone that may belong to Liam – which will now be examined for messages. Fingerprints were discovered on all items.

They also confirmed that a white powder was discovered in the room, alongside medication including clonazepam and energy tablets. Liam's personal notebook and his passport have been seized and handed to Prosecutor No. 16. His body was found in an internal patio of the hotel. The police were called to the hotel by the hotel manager.

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