Simon Cowell 'permanently changed' after Liam Payne tragedy

Simon Cowell is reportedly left devastated following the tragic death of the former One Direction star Liam Payne.

Payne died in October 24 at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, following reported drug binges.

Cowell, who helped launch the late singer's career after discovering him on The X Factor in 2010, reportedly took the tragedy "incredibly personally."

An insider told Radar Online, "Simon took Liam's death incredibly personally. He has worked with so many young artists over the years, but One Direction was different because he watched them grow up from teenagers into global stars."

Furthermore, another source noted that Payne's struggles left the music mogul questioning the pressure of fame at the young age. "There is a feeling among people around Simon that Liam's death exposed the darker side of the machine that creates these massive pop stars. Simon has been wrestling with that emotionally ever since," the insider said.

It is pertinent to mention that Simon Cowell has spoken about the grief of Liam Payne's death during a podcast appearance. He said, "What do you do in a situation like that? It was so bad, I was in pieces. There were so many things going on in my head."

"I literally just disappeared somewhere for a week to think everything through because I knew I was really, really struggling," he added.

As per the sources, former One Direction star's death has "permanently changed" Cowell's outlook on fame.