A former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant is the latest entertainer to speak out after the sudden and heartbreaking death of a colleague. Season 29 DWTS contestant AJ McLean took to his Instagram page to pay tribute to former One Direction singer Liam Payne.
As TMZ reported on October 16, Payne died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
In August, Entertainment Weekly reported that both Payne and McLean signed on to do a new Netflix reality television series. The two singers would join former “Dancing with the Stars” champion Nicole Scherzinger, formerly of the Pussycat Dolls, and Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland.
The new show, “Building the Band,” was slated to film over the summer according to Entertainment Weekly. No premiere date was released with the show’s announcement in August.
AJ McLean & Liam Payne Had Grown Close
McLean shared his post about Payne on Instagram on October 17. The photo included in the post showed McLean and Payne posing together outdoors.
The caption began, “Words cannot begin to express the pain I have for this man and the great loss we have endured!”
“We became very close almost immediately and shared so many stories, laughs, and life experiences,” McLean revealed.
He continued, “You were such a light and incredible person to be in the presence of daily while we worked together!”
McLean noted that Payne was “gone too soon” and he couldn’t believe it.
“Keep shining and keep singing for us all to hear,” McLean added. He also sent his “deepest condolences” to Payne’s loved ones.
One fan of McLean’s commented, “When I heard this tragic news the first thing I thought was about you and you guys recent friendship. I hope you are okay…take good care of yourself.”
“Hope you’re ok Aj obviously you worked with Liam recently. Such a sad loss, I hope we still get to see 1 of if not his last project when the time is right,” another fan shared.
Another response read, “Very thoughtful and perfectly said!! Gone way too soon!! So sorry for the loss of your friend. He was a beloved favorite of our boyband community!! May he rest in peace in the hands of God! 🕊️🙏💔😢❤️”
McLean Felt Like a Big Brother to Payne
McLean talked with InTouch about Payne during a September 20 interview.
After the two got to know one another, McLean said he “felt like a proud older brother” to Payne. He said Payne was “a genuine human being” and “so talented.”
He shared that while filming “Building the Band,” Payne “was playing some stuff from his upcoming projects and asking, you know, about mixes and about things like that.”
McLean recalled advice he shared with Payne during conversations about business-related topics.
“I was like, ‘Dude, you know, you gotta do what’s best for you but don’t surround yourself with people like yourself, surround yourself with people that will actually tell you no, that’s a good group.’”
McLean told the media outlet Payne had seemed “pretty receptive” to the advice he received. He noted some of what the two men discussed were “really hard conversations about the business.”
Netflix has not made any announcements regarding the plan for airing “Building the Band” in the wake of Payne’s death. It does not appear either Scherzinger or Rowland have shared any comments or tributes regarding Payne.
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