Simon Cowell 'feels sick' over Liam Payne's death as he saw One Direction star as a son

Record label boss and TV star is having a "moment of reflection" after the death of , who he saw as a "son".

The 65-year-old is "gutted" about the singer's untimely passing, after he was found after falling three floors from the balcony of a Buenos Aires hotel room. Along with the other lads, , Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan, Liam, 31, initially auditioned on talent show The as an individual.

But Simon saw something in the boys, and after being put together the band went on to achieve global success. Simon, who has put , after being instrumental in propelling the five singers to meteoric fame.

A source told the : "Simon is gutted with the Liam news. Simon has a son that he loves more than anything and in essence the boys from One Direction were his first set of sons, he spent so much time with them, and he loves all of them." Simon first met Liam when he was just 14, and encouraged him to audition again two years later.

The insider said that Liam was an "important person" to Simon, and the music mogul is "sick" over what's happened. They added he's cherishing the memories with Liam, as he deals with the "absolute nightmare". They added: "It really is a moment of reflection for Simon, he's trying to figure out what he can do to help his family, he wants to do something for Liam, but that will all take some time, he has to deal with the tragedy for the time being. It is very hard and very sad."

As Simon deals with the aftermath of Wednesday night's horrific incident, many stars have been calling on fans to be considerate when discussing their idols online. In addition to , Ed Sheeran urged others to "be kind" as he paid tribute to Liam.

Alongside a black-and-white photo of Liam smiling shared to Instagram, Sheeran wrote: "At a loss for words. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones, every memory I have with him is a great one, just such a heart-breaking situation. Be kind. X"

Robbie Williams also called for greater kindness and empathy following the death of Liam, who he described as "a handsome talented boy". The former Take That member recalled performing and hanging out with One Direction during the 2010 X Factor final, saying: “They were all cheeky and lovely.”

He continued: “Our paths have crossed ever since that day and I’m fond of them all. Liam’s trials and tribulations were very similar to mine, so it made sense to reach out and offer what I could. So I did.” Robbie went on to call for people to not make sudden judgements and to think before they write their thoughts on the internet, saying: “Even famous strangers need your compassion”. He added: “What a handsome talented boy. What a tragic painful loss for his friends, family, fans and by the looks of the energy this moment has created – The world.”

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