Simon Cowell: Life in pictures
Back to basics
When he was not on-screen, terrorizing wanna-be idols, Simon was creating his own pop-opera wondergroup, Il Divo. The group, comprised of four male singers of different nationalities, released its debut album in 2005. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Simon gets Punkd
Simon is known for giving American Idol host Ryan Seacrest a pretty tough time on the series. Ryan got a little redemption, however, when he teamed up with Randy Jackson to trick Simon on Punkd. The pranksters led Simon to believe that his $400,000 Rolls Royce had been stolen. (Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)
Love life
Simon dated British television personality Terri Seymour from 2002 until 2008. He’s currently single... and will have some time on his hands after he leaves American Idol next season. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
