“My Son Saved Me”: Simon Cowell’s Emotional Confession About Grief, Healing, and Fatherhood

In a rare and heartfelt moment, music mogul Simon Cowell has opened up about one of the most personal chapters of his life the pain of losing both parents, and how the birth of his son Eric brought him back from a dark place.

Simon, known for his no-nonsense attitude and sharp critiques on shows like America’s Got Talent and The X Factor, shared that after his parents passed away, he felt truly lost. Despite his massive success, something inside him was broken.

“I was kind of lost for a while,” Simon revealed. “Then Eric came along — and everything changed.”

Simon’s son, Eric, was born in 2014. The proud father explained how having a child shifted everything for him — from the way he saw the world, to how he judges talent on stage.

“He saved me,” Simon admitted. “Eric gave me a reason to care again, a reason to wake up and look forward to life. Now, when I judge someone, I often think about what Eric would think. Would this make him smile? Would he be inspired?”

🧡 A Different Side of Simon

Fans around the world are used to Simon’s tough exterior, but this revelation shows a far more human, vulnerable side of the entertainment icon. Behind the celebrity, there is a father who found healing through his child — a man who found light again after profound loss.

Eric Selig Phillip Cowell Sr. (Simon’s Father)

• Date of Death: 1999

• Age at Death: 81

• Cause: Unknown publicly (natural causes presumed)

• Relationship: Simon’s father was a prominent music industry executive at EMI and helped shape Simon’s early interest in music and entertainment.

Simon had immense respect for his father. In many interviews, he described him as his hero and moral compass. Eric Sr. supported Simon’s career during both his struggles and eventual rise to success. His passing was a major emotional blow.

“My dad was the person I looked up to the most. When he passed away, it left a huge hole,” Simon once said.

Julie Brett Cowell (Simon’s Mother)

• Date of Death: July 5, 2015

• Age at Death: 89

• Cause: A long illness (not publicly specified)

• Background: Julie was a former ballet dancer and socialite. She had a close, nurturing relationship with Simon.

Her death occurred just days before filming was scheduled to begin for The X Factor UK in 2015, leading Simon to temporarily cancel auditions and take time to grieve. It deeply affected him, and he later admitted that losing both parents changed his outlook entirely.

“When she died, I just couldn’t function properly. I lost my sense of direction for a while,” Simon said in an interview.

Emotional Impact

Simon has been candid in recent years about how the deaths of both his parents sent him into a period of depression and disconnection, despite his massive public success. He buried himself in work but ultimately felt “lost.”

Everything shifted with the birth of his son Eric in 2014 (ironically named after his father), just one year before his mother passed.

“Eric came at exactly the right time. I was emotionally broken — and he saved me,” Simon shared.