Maeve Bidonde, Staff Writer
Simon Cowell steps down from Britain’s Got Talent with judge Bruno Tonioli stepping up to take his place. Cowell, 65 had been a judge on X Factor and ended up signing One Direction to Syco, his record label.

The announcement came shortly after he was seen for the first time since Payne’s death. Cowell had been spotted in the backseat of a car in Blackpool where auditions for Britain’s Got Talent were being held. The auditions had been canceled at the last minute when Cowell heard the news of Liam Payne’s passing.

Katie Waissel, a 38 year old singer who auditioned alongside Payne on the X Factor in 2008 mentioned Cowell twice by name in statements where she accused music bosses of focusing on profits instead of focusing on people. 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.

The production for Britain’s Got Talent has been paused in the wake of Payne’s passing. According to E News this is what Simon Cowell had to say about Payne’s death. “‘Liam,

I am truly devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty,’ the X Factor judge wrote on Instagram Oct. 18. ‘And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.’ 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. Because you left us too soon. Rest in peace my friend.’”

The official Instagram account of the X Factor posted their own statement about the death of Liam Payne in the E News article. “‘We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne,’ read an Oct. 17 statement shared to the show’s official Instagram account, alongside a black and white photo of the late singer.

‘He was immensely talented and, as part of One Direction, Liam will leave a lasting legacy on the music industry and fans around the world. Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him.’”

The Applause store where tickets for the filming were organized released a statement about the canceling of filming that day. “‘Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, BGT has decided to postpone today’s auditions in Blackpool,” Applause store, who organized tickets for filming, said in a statement per The Independent on Oct. 17.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.’” 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. At this time, it is unknown if Simon Cowell stepping down from Britain’s Got Talent is a permanent change or only temporary.