The circumstances around his death remain under legal scrutiny. Two Argentine men, Braian Paiz and Ezequiel Pereyra, are still in pre-trial detention, accused of supplying cocaine to Payne. Both deny selling drugs, insisting any drug use was shared, not transactional, according to the Daily Mail.

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.

After One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016, Payne embarked on a solo career. He released an EP, “First Time,” in 2018 and his debut album, “LP1,” the following year. His final song, “Teardrops,” dropped in March 2024.

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.