Simon Cowell Hospitalized with Broken Back After Bicycle Fall

Simon Cowell, the English record executive and talent show producer celebrated for his blunt opinions, suffered a fall while testing a new electric bicycle at his Malibu home, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “He’s under observation and is in the best possible hands,” a spokesperson said.

The 60-year-old Cowell was reported to have broken his back, and underwent surgery Saturday night.

Cowell, whose television career began nearly 20 years ago with Britain’s Pop Idol, has been one of the driving forces behind mainstream entertainment ever since, as a judge on American Idol, and later The X Factor and America’s Got Talent, which Cowell’s company produced.

Cowell’s many entertainment tentacles can boast creating or promoting many pop acts over the years, most notably One Direction and Susan Boyle.