Liam Payne's 'heartbroken' sister reveals her 'immeasurable pride' after seeing her late brother in his final TV appearance on Netflix's Building the Band

Daily Mail​

26-06-2025

Liam Payne's 'heartbroken' sister Ruth Gibbins has shared her 'immeasurable pride' after seeing her late brother in his final TV appearance on Netflix's Building the Band.
The singer will make a posthumous appearance as a judge in the talent show, filmed before he died aged 31 in October, after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
And ahead of the series launch on July 9, Ruth shared a heartfelt message about his appearance, work and talents.
Taking to Instagram Stories, she said: 'I didn't know whether to share this, but it felt odd when I've raved about Liam's work and achievements for the past 15 years.
'I'm heartbroken he never got the chance to see how brilliant he is in this show. He knew he had done a good job, we all told him this when we were at filming, but watching it back, wow!.
'You're a star Liam, you always were and always will be. There are a range of emotions I felt watching this, but one of the main ones is immeasurable pride, always. Miss you more every day.'
Building The Band debuts on Netflix on July 9 and will be presented AJ McLean.
The Backstreet Boys singer stated last month: 'Today's most talented singers in the world will audition for each other and choose their own bandmates before ever seeing them.
'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. This show is all about one word: chemistry. And believe me: in a band, you really need some good chemistry.'
Liam, who also has another sister Nicola, had finished filming for the programme several months before his passing last October.
A summary for the series says : 'All they [the contestants] have to go on is musical compatibility, connection, chemistry and merit ... with incredible performances, compelling drama, and one big goal - to find the next great music band - the stage is set for an unforgettable experience.'
Netflix have recently revealed the first glimpse at Liam 's final ever TV appearance with a new trailer for Building The Band.
The 10-part series will see talented singers vie for a chance to form the next great band, unseen in a similar vein to The Voice.
Contestants will audition each other to form their own band while all sat in individual Love Is Blind-esque booths so they can't see each other.
Netflix have recently revealed the first glimpse at Liam 's final ever TV appearance with a new trailer for Building The Band
The latest trailer from the streaming giant showed a deeper look into the show, with glimpses of the auditioning process, contestants breaking down in tears and the judges' mentoring.
AJ can be heard introducing a screaming audience to the star-studded judging panel, with Liam beaming and waving to the adoring crowd.
The One Direction star is also shown advising the contestants during their rehearsals, urging one group: 'I need to see that connection between you guys.'
In other moving clips, the late star can be seen engaging with the audience and standing up to give one aspiring band a standing ovation.
Liam was one of five members of hit boyband One Direction alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan.
And referencing the group's beginnings of being put together on the X Factor, Liam says: 'How these bands are put together is not normal. We were not put together that way.'
Meanwhile, Nicole can be seen telling the nervous contestants: 'If everybody's fighting to be heard then no one's going to shine' and 'We don't have a couple days, this is tonight'.
While Kelly gushes over one group, saying: 'When y'all were blending, y'all were blending. We might be looking at the winner right here'.
Interspersed are clips of the contestants breaking down, admitting things 'are getting toxic', and practicing impressively choreographed dance routines.
The show's first four episodes will launch on July 9, with new episodes set to roll out every Wednesday over the course of 10 episodes.
'Building the Band brings together talented singers for a truly unique competition show where building the perfect band is all about chemistry,' the show's official synopsis reads.
'The singers are in complete control as they seek to form their very own bands in individual 'booths' without ever seeing each other.
'All they have to go on is musical compatibility, connection, chemistry and merit. What will happen when the bands finally meet, and looks, choreography, and style come into play?
'With incredible performances, compelling drama, and one big goal — to find the next great music band —t he stage is set for an unforgettable experience.'
The celebrity mentors will bring their 'unparalleled expertise and personal band experience to the competition'.
Netflix finished filming the show prior to Liam's sudden death and has since confirmed that his family reviewed the series and is supportive of his inclusion.
Last month, a source told The Sun that his family were shown the entire series in advance and have 'given it their blessing' before adding that Netflix worked 'very closely' with Liam's family to ensure the tone of the final cut was right.
They said: 'Liam was on great form at filming so everyone's pleased fans will get to see the 'real' him one last time. It will be bittersweet when the show is released.
'Netflix have gone out of their way to make sure his family are happy. Producers sent them the footage so they are fully aware of what to expect and they have given it their blessing.'
In January, Liam's cause of death was officially ruled as 'polytrauma' - a term used to describe multiple traumatic injuries sustained by the body.
He had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 'up to 2.7 grams per liter in his blood', according to the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office No. 14.
This is more than three times the legal driving limit in England and Wales, which is 0.08, meaning he would have been severely impaired in the moments before his fatal fall.
A BAC of 2.7 grams per liter (0.27%) is extremely high, with medical experts warning that such levels can lead to confusion, disorientation, and dizziness.
According to Alcohol.org, a BAC above 0.3% can result in alcohol poisoning, and anything above 0.4% could be fatal.
In addition to alcohol, the toxicology report found traces of several substances in Liam's system, including 'cocaine metabolites, methylecgonine, benzoylecgomine, cocaethylene, and the antidepressant sertraline,' which is often prescribed for anxiety and depression.