Liam James Payne (born 29 August 1993) is an English singer and songwriter.
He rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction.
Payne made his debut as a singer when he auditioned for the British television series The X Factor in 2008. After being eliminated as a solo performer, he auditioned again in 2010 and was put into a group with four other contestants to form One Direction
Simon Cowell 'devastated and heartbroken' as he pays tribute to Liam Payne
manchestereveningnews.co.ukSimon Cowell has paid tribute to former One Direction star Liam Payne following his death at the age of 31. Liam died after falling from the third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
One Direction, which also consisted of Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles, found fame after Simon, 65, put them together on ITV show The X Factor.
The music mogul has now broken his silence following Liam's death and paid tribute to him, saying his son Bear - who Liam shared with Girls Aloud star Cheryl - will be “so proud” of what he has achieved. READ MORE: Liam Payne suffered 25 injuries as police release further details around his death at Argentina hotel Simon 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.
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