Britain's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell won't leave Eric his £460 million fortune

star has revealed he has no plans to leave his whopping £460 million fortune as an inheritance to his son, Eric, 11. The media mogul, best known for creating shows such as and American Idol, said that instead, he wants to keep helping people long after he's gone.

Eric, who was born in 2014, is Cowell's first child with his longtime partner, socialite Lauren Silverman. They also share Adam, 19, from Silverman's first marriage. At the time, Simon revealed that he named him after his late father, Eric, with whom he was very close. Simon's long-time publicist, Max Clifford, told : "It's the whole family thing, he got a tremendous amount of comfort from the relationship he had with his mum and dad. They were very, very close."

The family is incredibly tighknit, with Simon gushing about his son: "Being a dad is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love every second I spend with him." The 65-year-old credits Eric with 'saving' him following the death of his beloved mum. During an appearance on The Diary Of A CEO podcast in June 2024, he said: "When I lost my mum, I was on a downward spiral at that point. Without question, [Eric saved me]. I really, really had reached the point where nothing mattered."

Despite Simon and Eric's obvious bond, the star is determined his child won't rely on his fortune to succeed. Just a year after his son was born, Simon told the Mirror: "I'm going to leave my money to somebody. A charity, probably - kids and dogs. I don't believe in passing on from one generation to another. Your legacy has to be that hopefully you gave enough people an opportunity, so that they could do well, and you gave them your time, taught them what you know."

The record executive, who has been among the highest-paid figures in the entertainment industry for decades, continues to work actively and says he has no plans to retire. "A lot of people who retire, they hate their job so much, they just love the idea of not working anymore. That horrifies me," Cowell stated, adding that he envisions working well into his 80s or 90s.

There's no doubt, though, that Eric is a chip off the old block when it comes to business ideas. In 2020, Simon announced that he and Eric were working together on a seven-book series called Wishfits based on imaginary animals the two had created, including a Dat (dog/cat) and a Peep (pig/sheep). Simon gushed: "To be able to write a series of books with my son Eric has been magical."

Like many youngsters, Eric is currently into music and has aspirations of being a rock star, much to his dad's amusement. Simon recently spoke about his love of playing the drums and how Eric hoped to audition for Britain's Got Talent when he's older. During a March 2025 episode of the show, he mentioned Eric after watching contestant Cornel Hrisca-Munn, who was born with no arms, play the drums. He said: "My son has just taken up drums, and he is going to watch this over and over again. That was inspiring."