AJ McLean has 'constant reminder' of Liam Payne
AJ McLean has a "constant reminder" of his friend, the late Liam Payne on his phone.
AJ McLean has a "constant reminder" of Liam Payne on his phone.
The Backstreet Boys singer grew close to the late One Direction star - who died in October aged 31 after falling from his hotel balcony - when shooting Netflix series Building the Band, and he has kept a recording of their final conversation because he felt the chat perfectly reflected the kind and funny person he knew Liam to be.
AJ - who hosts Building the Band - told People magazine: "I've not deleted it. I've kept it on my phone as a constant reminder of who he was. He was a very positive, uplifting person.
"He had a real quick wit about him. I don't know if it was the British humour or just him as a person. I think that was one of the things that him and I really, really gelled immediately with.
"Both of us were sarcastic and fun and funny, and always making jokes and pranks and just having fun with everybody on set.
"But also as an artist, he was extremely talented. Not only as a singer-performer, but as a songwriter-producer, and he truly did light up the room when he'd walk on set."
AJ, 47, had known Liam for a long time but they got particularly close while the Strip That Down singer was filming his stint as a guest judge on Building the Band.
AJ said: "We've known each other over the years since One D started, but this was probably the most lengthy time that we've ever really been in the same room talking about everything from music to sobriety to life."
The I'll Never Break Your Heart singer got the chance to hear Liam's final music, and he hopes the record gets released one day because he thinks fans will love it.
He said: "He hit me up when we had a few days off from shooting and sent me what would've been his most recent solo album, just to ask my opinion on the music... And I thought it was an insane body of work. It was so good. I hope somewhere down the road, somehow people get to hear it, especially all the One D fans."
