Overview
- Speaking to The Interview from the New York Times, Cowell said he was in northern England working on a new boy-band project for his docuseries when a close colleague entered his room, asked him to sit, and delivered the news.
- He described feeling a shock comparable to learning of his father's death and said his first request was to contact Payne's parents.
- Cowell recalled seeing Payne about a year earlier and said he seemed enthusiastic and focused on fatherhood with his son, Bear, with Cheryl Cole.
- He acknowledged awareness of reports about Payne's addictions and emotional struggles, saying many discussions stayed private and emphasizing that he was not Payne's manager.
- He also noted that Payne served as a juror on Netflix's Building the Band about six months before his death, which occurred after a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.