United Kingdom, May 10 -- Simon Cowell was "absolutely devastated" by the death of Liam Payne, according to his close friend Sinitta.

The One Direction singer passed away at the age of 31 last October after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the 'So Macho' hitmaker - who first met Liam when he auditioned for 'The X Factor' at the age of 14 - has reflected on the moment she heard the news about the tragedy.

Sinitta told OK!: "On the night it happened I had gone to bed early but left my phone on in the other room. I kept hearing it clicking with new messages. In the morning, I saw the messages and was in complete shock. I literally couldn't speak. It was like living through a nightmare."

The 61-year-old star con...