Liam Payne’s ‘Building the Band’ co-stars AJ McLean, Kelly Rowland remember last moments before his death

Liam Payne’s “Building the Band” co-stars AJ McLean and Kelly Rowland remember the late judge as as a bright light both in the music industry and the world.

The new Netflix singing competition was the last project the former One Direction member worked on before his tragic death in October 2024 at the age of 31.

“His intuition was so spot on,” Rowland, who also served as a judge on the show, recalled to Page Six during a virtual press junket, elaborating that Payne “could feel what was about to happen before him.”

The former Destiny’s Child member, 44, laughed as she shared that he would often “lean” over to her and let out hysterical “one-liners” throughout filming.

“We’re gonna miss him,” she lamented. “And that’s why we dedicated this whole space to him because he was one of the masters of creating this space for everybody to just be great.”

Series host AJ McLean agreed, saying he’s both “proud” and “happy” that the show “is the way [Payne] gets to be remembered because this is truly who he was.”

The Backstreet Boys member, 47, added, “Hopefully we do him proud, his family proud and his fans.”

He also told us that “hilarious” and “witty” Payne, whom he referred to as “an absolute dream,” “lit up every room that he walked into.”

The two would “talk about anything and everything,” including music, sobriety, relationships and stories about their respective bands.

Boy band Soulidified, which was created on the series, told Page Six that Payne saw a lot of himself in them and even “blossomed” in their presence.

“Being with his brothers and traveling the world with them and having those experiences with them was the greatest time he had in his life, and he was like, ‘Y’all hold onto that,’” they recalled him urging them.

Soulidified also spoke about his “energy” and “positivity,” gushing about “all the laughs that were had on and off camera.”

Girl group 3Quency remembered how “sweet, smiley, giddy and excited” Payne always was, noting that he gave them “a lot of great advice about performance and about the industry.”

“It’s really devastating what ended up happening, but we’re gonna continue his legacy,” they assured us.

SZN4 explained that Payne was a “beautiful,” “kind” and “genuine blessing” who showed them a great deal of care and compassion.

“He was so willing to help us in this industry ’cause he knows how tough it can be. He was just so willing to be a mentor for us, even after the show and beyond,” they marveled.

Payne warned all the groups of the newfound fame that would follow their TV debuts, calling it “the calm before the storm” because “everything’s about to change.”

Alongside his former One Direction bandmates, Payne — who admittedly struggled with addiction issues — became a household name after winning “The X Factor” in 2010.

He died after falling from the balcony of a hotel in Argentina, leaving behind one young son.