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Tom Parker, the British singer who rose to fame as a member of the boy band The Wanted, has died almost two years after he was first diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma. He was 33.
The singer's wife Kelsey announced his death on Instagram Wednesday, saying that Parker died earlier that day with his family by his side.
"Our hearts are broken, Tom was the centre of our world and we can't imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence," she wrote. "We are truly thankful for the outpouring of love and support and ask that we all unite to ensure Tom's light continues to shine for his beautiful children."
She concluded, "Thank you to everyone who has supported in his care throughout, he fought until the very end. I'm forever proud of you ❤️💫✨❤️."
Parker and his wife, who married in 2018, are parents to daughter Aurelia Rose, 2½, and son Bodhi Thomas, 17 months. In Kelsey's post, she shared a black-and-white portrait of her husband, as well as a sweet family photo of four.
The Wanted posted their own announcement as well, sharing that they were able to be by Parker's side as he died.
"Max, Jay, Siva, Nathan and the whole Wanted family are devastated by the tragic and premature loss of our bandmate Tom Parker, who passed away peacefully at lunchtime today surrounded by his family and his band mates," it read. "Tom was an amazing husband to Kelsey, and father to Aurelia and Bodhi. He was our brother, words can't express the loss and sadness we feel. Always and forever in our hearts."
The "Glad You Came" singer was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the summer of 2020, and shared the news that October, saying at the time that he knew "something wasn't right" but "never expected it to be this."
"We are all devastated but we are gonna fight this all the way," he said in an Instagram post. "We don't want your sadness, we just want love and positivity and together we will raise awareness of this terrible disease and look for all available treatment options."
He opted not to learn his prognosis upon his diagnosis, and said in October 2021 that he typically receives medicine every two weeks, but was able to push it to every three weeks because he'd been "responding so well" to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Still, Parker revealed that his illness had taken a toll, affecting both his short-term memory and mobility.
In November, he announced that his tumor was "under control" and he was stable, which prompted "such a mix of emotions."
"We couldn't ask for more really at this point; a year or so into this journey," he wrote. "Honestly over the moon. We can sleep a little easier tonight. Thank you for all your love and support over the last 12+months. Love from Me, Kelsey, Aurelia and Bo."
"It won't be long until we announce NED(no evidence of disease). Trust Me when I say, we are knocking this out the park in the next couple of months 💪🏻💪🏻👊🏻," Parker added on Twitter at the time.
In early March, he shared on Instagram that he'd been seeking treatment in Spain over the last few weeks.
The star maintained a positive outlook throughout his cancer battle, and offered fans an intimate look at his life in October in the documentary Tom Parker: Inside My Head — which chronicled his initial diagnosis and treatment — sharing what he wants "from the future."
"More time with my kids. More time with my wife. More time with life," he said in the film, which aired in the UK. "And I feel like that's going to happen. I've got that positive outlook on life. And I think when you take strength and courage from other people around you, that really helps."
The documentary also chronicled his efforts to organize a charity reunion concert featuring his former bandmates, which took place in September.
He joined The Wanted — comprised of Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes — in 2009, and the band found success in the U.S. with hits like "Chasing the Sun" and "Glad You Came," which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Though the group split in 2014, their reunion was an emotional one, and Parker called it "beautifully special."
"There was a moment where I thought I was going to break down and have a meltdown," Parker told E! News after their performance. "But the boys just comforted me — it was just an emotional night all around, even for the whole day and stuff."
The band reunited once more for a brief "Greatest Hits" arena tour across the U.K. this month, which Parker joined as he was able.
"My happy place," he captioned an Instagram photo of himself on stage.
Earlier this month, he shared that he will be releasing a book in July, that is "not about dying" but about "living [and] finding hope in whatever situation you're dealt, and living your best life no matter what."
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