Payne spoke highly about Cowell including that Cowell created One Direction around him and that he played a part in Payne’s romance with English singer, Cheryl Tweedy which ended with them having a son named bear. Describing Liam—who he mentored along with the rest of One Direction—as ‘kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble, focused,’ Simon continued, ‘I always thought of the five of you in the band as brothers’ He added, ‘And now Liam, I can see the effect you had on so many people. Cowell was understandably heartbroken and devastated by the death of Liam Payne who he took a chance on along with the other members of One Direction and struck up a friendship with him after the fact.