One Direction Founder Simon Cowell Breaks Silence on Liam Payne's Death: "I Feel Empty"

Early fans of One Direction are all too familiar with Simon Cowell's role within the band. In fact, the X Factor judge has been credited with the creation of the British boy group (though later footage may have revealed that it was Nicole Scherzinger all along, but we digress). Though the boys — Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik — famously came in third place back in 2010, they were still signed to Simon's Syco Records.

Though fans have long had mixed feelings about his handling of the band, there's no denying that he was a major part of their formation and early success.

Now following the tragic and sudden death of 31-year-old Liam Payne, Simon has broken his silence with a gut-wrenching statement on social media.

Sadly, Liam died on Oct. 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was staying there alone — his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, had flown home to Miami just two days prior. And to make matters even more heartbreaking, Liam had been visiting Argentina to see his former bandmate, Niall Horan, in concert.

Since the news broke, fans, friends, and fellow celebrities have been sharing touching tributes to the singer, including every remaining member of One Direction.

After two days of silence, Simon Cowell, who is widely considered the "father of One Direction," finally took to social media to share a heartfelt message: "You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens."

The statement continued, "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."

"This is so difficult to put in words right now," he said. "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."

He proceeded to write about Liam's first experience on the X Factor UK, which actually took place two years prior to One Direction's formation when the singer was only 14 years old.

"I had to tell you when you were 14 that this wasn't your time," he said. "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."

Simon then went on to reveal that the two actually reunited just a year ago when Liam came to visit the mogul: "We reminisced about all of the fun times we had together. And how proud you were to be a dad. After you left, I was reminded that you were still the sweet, kind boy I met all of those years ago."

"And now, Liam, I can see the effect you had on so many people. Because you left us too soon," he concluded. "Rest in peace, my friend."

Liam is survived by his mother and father, his two sisters, and a young son named Bear.