Liam Payne fans were left heartbroken after hearing the one word now hauntingly tied to the One Direction star since his tragic death in October 2024.

During Netflix’s Tudum event over the weekend, Backstreet Boys member AJ Mclean offered the first glimpse at the much-anticipated series Building the Band, marking Liam’s final project before his tragic death at the age of 31.

Teasing the series, McLean, who is set to host the show, named the judges involved in the upcoming season, saying, “Our judge and mentor, Nicole Scherzinger, and guest judges Kelly Rowland and the late Liam Payne, are from some of the biggest bands of all time.”

The addition of “late” before the Night Changes singer’s name deeply triggered fans, leaving them reeling with emotion.

Liam’s loyal followers quickly swarmed X (formerly Twitter), flooding the platform with reactions ranging from heartbreak to frustration.

“‘And the late liam payne’ just shattered my f****** heart all over again,” one fumed.

Another lamented, “Hearing AJ say ‘the Late Liam Payne’ breaks my heart in a way, that I can’t put into words. It hurts to know that Liam might’ve been on that stage & announced that show himself. He should still be here. [broken heart emoji]”

A third chimed in saying, “I’ll never get used to & it’ll never get easier hearing someone say- ‘The Late Liam Payne…’”

“‘The late liam payne’ [broken heart emoji] #tudum,” fourth echoed the same sentiments, tagging the event, which prompted a new wave of fan reaction.

For the unversed, a few months later, after Building the Band filming came to an end, Liam died after falling from a third-floor balcony at his hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Following his death, on May 14, 2025, Netflix confirmed the show will air as planned and feature Liam posthumously.