Liam Payne still sought "advice and direction" from Simon Cowell in the months before he died.
The 31-year-old singer - who passed away on Wednesday (16.10.24) after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Argentina - remained close to his mentor even after One Direction went their separate ways in 2016 and enjoyed taking his and ex-girlfriend Cheryl Tweedy's seven-year-old son Bear to hang out with the TV talent show boss and his boy Eric, 10.