Liam Payne's Final TV Appearance Revealed In Emotional Netflix Trailer Months After Tragic Death

Liam Payne was returning to his musical roots in what would become his final television appearance before his untimely death in October 2024.

On Tuesday, Netflix dropped the trailer for its upcoming music competition series "Building the Band," featuring the late singer as a guest judge alongside Kelly Rowland and Nicole Scherzinger.

The series, set to premiere July 9, marks Liam Payne’s last filmed project and highlights his passion for mentoring young talent, a role that felt especially fitting given his history as a founding member of One Direction.

Appearing healthy and upbeat in the trailer, Payne is seen offering advice and honest feedback to contestants who are tasked with forming bands based solely on vocal chemistry, without ever seeing one another.

“I need to feel that connection between you guys,” he says in one clip, urging aspiring artists to dig deeper.

“To have these bands put together is not normal,” Payne adds, reflecting on his own experience. “We [One Direction] were put together that way.”

"Building the Band," hosted by Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean, challenges 50 singers to create six different bands from behind soundproof booths, relying only on what they hear, not what they see.

It’s a full-circle moment for Payne, who rose to stardom after being placed in One Direction during the 2010 season of "The X Factor." Scherzinger, then a guest judge, played a crucial role in forming the beloved boy band alongside Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh.

Tragically, Payne died on October 16, 2024, after falling from a third-story balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.

According to ABC News, a partial autopsy revealed multiple substances in his system at the time of his death, including cocaine, crack, benzodiazepine, and “pink cocaine," a cocktail of methamphetamine, ketamine, and MDMA.

Authorities also found an improvised aluminum pipe in his hotel room, reportedly used to ingest the drugs. A preliminary report concluded that Payne suffered internal and external trauma, including a cranial fracture that caused his immediate death.

Local authorities told TMZ they believe he was under the influence of a drug called “cristal,” known for causing extreme emotional highs and lows, and potentially aggressive behavior.

Payne’s body remains in Argentina as a full autopsy is completed. The singer did not leave a will. His estimated $32.2 million estate has been placed in a trust for his 8-year-old son Bear, whom he shares with British pop star Cheryl Cole.

In the weeks leading up to his tragic death, Payne was reportedly grappling with a serious drug addiction that those close to him feared was spiraling out of control.

According to industry sources cited by Page Six, the former One Direction star had recently been dropped by his record label, Universal Music, and shortly afterward, by his London-based publicist. “Liam was battling a very significant drug addiction and his treatment, as those who knew him will attest, was not working,” one insider said.

While Payne had spent 100 days in a Louisiana rehab facility in 2023, his return to the spotlight was allegedly being pushed too quickly by a young and ambitious team eager to get him back on the road.

“They were really pushing him to go on the road and back on tour and he was only just out of rehab,” a source claimed. “How many times have we seen this story, where people are only concerned about making money?”

Executives at Universal reportedly became “uncomfortable” with the idea of continuing to work with Payne amid his struggles, and the singer is believed to have parted ways with his management team just weeks before his fatal fall in Argentina.

The revelations paint a devastating picture of a star trying to regain his footing while battling personal demons, ultimately raising concerns about the pressures artists face behind the scenes.

Although his final days were marked by tragedy, "Building the Band" is expected to serve as a powerful reminder of Payne’s musical legacy, generosity, and enduring influence on aspiring artists worldwide.