AJ McLean Called His Sponsor After Learning of 'Building the Band' Costar Liam Payne's Death

Transcript

00:00I didn't, I didn't know him, um, not as much as we in the end, you know, became close.

00:09Uh, we'd see each other at award shows, you know, I see all the guys, you know, um, I

00:16probably saw, you know, Niall probably more than anybody, um, you know, whenever we would

00:21do shows at the O2, he would always pop in and, you know, show his support.

00:26Um, all those guys are honestly sweethearts, truly, but, you know, I had seen Liam in

00:32passing at different things, but this was like, like I said, the most quality time spent

00:37together and, you know, we're doing 12 to 14 hour days for five weeks straight.

00:42And he was just an absolute dream.

00:46I mean, we had very similar wits, you know, he had the more dry British humor.

00:51I had the American humor, but like, we also had a lot in common, um, both our highs and

01:00lows with our sobriety and, and just even how we approached music and our love for music

01:07and just a lot of the same inspirations that we had growing up.

01:12Um, it was, it, it, it, it truly was in many ways, kind of like, I felt like we were almost

01:20like a, like separated birth in a sense, like as artists.

01:24Um, but he was just an absolute dream to work with.

01:27Honestly.

01:28Um, I got to hear an unheard body of music that he was going to be putting out at some

01:34point.

01:35Um, I still have the same, the, the very last conversation we ever had.

01:40Um, I haven't deleted it.

01:42I won't, um, you know, I still saved my security who passed away 13 years ago.

01:48I have his number saved.

01:49I'm never going to get rid of it.

01:51Uh, but you know, he was just, just, just the way he talked to all these different groups

01:58was just so inspiring to hear.

02:00He was so well, well read, articulate and very supportive and positive.

02:07He would obviously find a way to be, I don't want to say stern, but like get his point across,

02:14but in a very constructive manner, which any, any of the bands that got that advice took

02:22it and they, and they, and they listened.

02:24And he said that he's like, Hey, you guys listened to what I said from the last episode.

02:29So yeah, he was an absolute sweetheart.

02:33Um, you know, it was, I was literally on a zoom call with my team.

02:38We were talking about sphere stuff and my manager told me what had happened.

02:43And I was like, guys, I got to get off the call.

02:45Uh, I'm sorry.

02:46I'll catch up with you later.

02:48And I just kind of sat there.

02:50I called, I called my sponsor and, uh, I immediately called Kelly.

02:55Uh, I tried calling Nicole first, but she was in rehearsal.

03:00Uh, she called me back maybe 20 minutes later, but I talked to Kelly and yeah, it was, uh,

03:07you know, we all, all, all, all three of us kind of banded together and kind of talked

03:11to each other and we're kind of being support for each other.

03:14And yeah, you know.