Simon Cowell breaks down crying, hugs Liam Payne’s parents at late singer’s UK funeral

nypost.com:

Simon Cowell shared an emotional moment with Liam Payne‘s parents at a private funeral that was held for the late pop star on Wednesday.Payne was remembered after his tragic death at 31, with Cowell, 65, who formed One Direction on “The X Factor,” in attendance.

In one shot, the music mogul embraces Geoff and Karen Payne as the greiving father wraps his arm tightly around Cowell.A second picture showed Cowell wiping his eyes as Geoff places his hand on the “AGT” judge’s back.Cowell was also pictured looking somber while walking hand in hand with his fiancée, Lauren Silverman.Payne’s former One Direction bandmates Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Harry Styles were also in attendance at the Amersham, England, memorial service.Last month, Cowell broke his silence on Payne’s death, penning an emotional message to the fallen star.“You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens,” he wrote on Instagram. “Liam, I am devastated.

Heartbroken. And I feel empty. 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.“I went outside today, and I thought about so many times we had together.

I wanted to let you know what I would always say to the thousands of people who would always ask me. What is Liam like? And I would tell them you were kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble, focused.