How Liam Payne's death is addressed in 'Building the Band'
- - - How Liam Payne's death is addressed in 'Building the Band'
Liz Calvario, TODAYJuly 9, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Liam Payne's final TV appearance in "Building the Band" trailer. (YouTube)
Liam Payne’s memory lives on in “Building the Band.”
The late One Direction singer makes his final television appearance in the new Netflix singing competition — and fans are tuning in to see his last moments on screen.
Payne died on Oct. 16, 2024, after falling from a third floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31. His death sent a wave of shock across the world, as fans of the musician mourned his sudden death.
Before he died, Payne had filmed “Building the Band,” working as a judge alongside host and Backstreet Boy AJ McLean, mentor and judge Nicole Scherzinger and judge Kelly Rowland.
The competition show brings together singers, isolated in their own pods a la “Love Is Blind,” who create their own groups without ever seeing one another. All they have to go off are the person’s vocals and the chemistry they create together.
Payne, as well as Rowland, bring in their expertise and personal experience to the competition.
“He lit up any room that he walked into,” McLean tells TODAY.com. “Whether it was a dressing room, on set, where he was, he lit up that space with his energy, with his open heart, open mind. He was extremely, very well spoken, very articulate when it came to giving feedback as a mentor to these groups.”
McLean adds that Payne was “very supportive, rigorously honest in a compassionate way” and “the coolest dude” on set. They also bonded over their shared boy band and life experiences.
As the first four episodes stream on Netflix on July 9, the premiere addresses Payne’s unexpected death.
How is Liam Payne honored on ‘Building the Band’
The first episode opens with a message from McLean, paying tribute to Payne.
“When we came together to film ‘Building the Band,’ we never imagined we’d soon be saying goodbye to our friend, Liam Payne,” McLean says in the first episode. “Liam is a guest judge in later episodes, and through his presence, we see his deep love for music and his unwavering commitment to helping others find their voice.”
As photos and video footage of Payne from his time on the show appear on the screen, McLean adds, “It’s through that spirit that we dedicate this series to Liam and his family.”
How did Liam Payne die?
Payne’s autopsy report from the Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office shows that he died of “polytrauma and internal and external bleeding” after his fall.
Preliminary toxicology results, unconfirmed by NBC News at the time, found that he had multiple substances in his system when he fell, reportedly including “pink cocaine,” a cocktail of drugs including methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA and more, as well as cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack, according to sources quoted by ABC News.
One month after his death, a private funeral service took place at St. Mary’s Church in the town of Amersham, just outside of London, on Nov. 20. Among the attendees included the other members of One Direction, Payne’s then-girlfriend Kate Cassidy, and Cheryl Cole, the mother of his son, Bear.
Source: AOL Entertainment
