Simon Cowell has made his first public appearance since Liam Payne’s death.
The music mogul, 65, stepped out at the Pride of Britain Awards at London’s The Grosvenor House Hotel on Monday evening.
But as hordes of celebrities dazzled for the cameras, Simon opted to skip the red carpet and head straight to the ceremony, reports The sun.
Simon, who has attended many Pride Of Britain events in the past, later took to the stage where he paid tribute to friend and journalist Peter Willis, who died aged 54 and was the mastermind behind the much-loved awards.
His appearance comes days after he shared his devastation over Liam’s death and canceled a day of Britain’s Got Talent auditions in the wake of the tragedy.
Simon Cowell has made his first public appearance since the death of Liam Payne (Simon pictured at last week’s Britain’s Got Talent photocall)
Last week, Simon paid tribute to the late One Direction star who died aged 31 after falling 45 feet from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Argentina.
A spokesperson for the programme’s producer, Freemantle UK, said: ‘Due to the tragic death of Liam Payne, we have decided to postpone the auditions for Britain’s Got Talent. Our thoughts are with Liam’s friends, family and all who loved him.”
Simon paid tribute to the late One Direction star who died aged 31 after falling 13 meters from a third floor balcony at the CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Argentina.
Simon first met Liam when he auditioned for the X Factor for the very first time at the age of 14.
The grieving music mogul paid a moving tribute to the “kind, funny and talented” pop star, who “never forgot the fans.”
He wrote, “You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens.
‘Liam, I’m really devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty.
“And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I shed is a memory of you.
‘This is so difficult to put into words at the moment. I went outside today and thought about the many times we were together.
Simon, who has attended many Pride Of Britain events in the past, later took to the stage where he paid tribute to friend and journalist Peter Willis, who died aged 54 and was the mastermind behind the much-loved awards. [pictured at the awards in 2019]
Simon first met Liam when he auditioned for the very first time for the X Factor at the age of 14 (Picture: Simon Cowell and Liam Payne)
“I wanted to let you know what I would always say to the thousands of people who would always ask me.
‘What’s Liam like? And I would tell them that you were kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble, and focused.
“And how much you loved music. And how much love you really had for the fans.
“I had to tell you at fourteen that this wasn’t your time. And we both promised 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.
His appearance comes days after he shared his devastation over Liam’s death and canceled a day of Britain’s Got Talent auditions in the wake of the tragedy (judges pictured at Wednesday’s audition)
Last week, Simon released a touching tribute to Liam on Instagram, describing him as ‘kind, funny and talented’
‘And you never forgot the fans. I watched you spend so much time with people who wanted to meet you. You really cared.
‘You came to see me last year. Not for a meeting. Just to sit and talk. And we reminisced about all the fun times we had together.
‘And you were so proud to be a father. After you left, I was reminded that you were still the sweet, kind boy I met all those years ago.
He continued, “I met your son Bear. He has your smile and that twinkle in his eye that you have.
“And he’ll be so proud of everything you’ve accomplished. And how you achieved that.
“I always thought of the five of you in the band as brothers. And reading their messages today, I believe you were too.
“And now Liam, I see the effect you had on so many people. Because you left us too soon.
‘Rest in peace, my friend. And I send my love, thoughts and prayers to your family.
‘Simon X’
Before his sudden death around 5pm (ART), the pop star attended his former bandmate Niall Horan’s tour of the Latin American country.
A heartbreaking video shows Liam Payne singing and dancing during the concert with his partner Kate Cassidy.
A selfie of Liam Payne in Argentina before his sudden death at the age of 31
A heartbreaking video shows Liam Payne singing and dancing with his former bandmate Niall Horan, where he later posted a photo with Niall on Snapchat with the caption: ‘Reunited.’
His girlfriend Kate Cassidy posted a photo of the couple on her Instagram last August
After the performance, he posted a tragic photo with Niall on Snapchat with the caption: “Reunited.”
Separate posts from the final moments of the star’s life showed him enjoying lunch in his hotel room, where he revealed the pair ‘woke up at 1pm every day’ and decided to make Forest Gump as a Halloween costume to elect.
Another tragic selfie was captioned: “Beautiful day in Argentina” before the star shared a photo from his hotel and wrote: “Glad I had some time,” followed by a heart emoji.
He shared another photo with Kate with the caption: “Quality time.”
Liam began his quest for fame when he first auditioned for the X Factor in 2008.
At just 14 years old, Liam impressed the judges with his own version of Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, but was later eliminated from the show.
However, Payne gave his singing career another chance by auditioning for the competition again in 2010, where he quickly rose to fame as part of One Direction.