London, March 14 (IANS) Music mogul Simon Cowell is in grief after a critically ill child he attempted to save passed away.

'American Idol' judge had pledged to help 23-month-old Sophie Atay suffering from a rare, aggressive cancer known as neuroblastoma.

Cowell vowed to save the child after he became aware of her plight when he signed up as a patron of the Children Hospices, reports contactmusic.com.

He donated cash and helped raise $800,000 to send Sophie to New York for specialist treatment.

However, the toddler lost her battle with the disease Thursday before she could fly to the Big Apple for medical aid.