AJ McLean revealed he kept a recording of his final conversation with his late 'Building the Band' costar Liam Payne. "I've not deleted it. I've kept it on my phone as a constant reminder of who he was.

AJ McLean pays tribute to Liam Payne in the first episode of 'Building the Band' after the series premiere on July 9.

Netflix’s “Building the Band” paid tribute to Liam Payne during episode 1. Payne, who died at age 31 in October 2024, posthumously appears as a judge on the reality competition series. At the start of the premiere episode, host AJ McLean acknowledged Payne’s death.

Netflix 's new series Building the Band has been dedicated to the late Liam Payne and will feature a special tribute to the singer. The upcoming show, in which 50 singers compete from individual pods to form a band without seeing each other, sees Payne take on judging duties alongside Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland.