The Wanted singer Tom Parker has died at the age of 33.
The musician, best known for his time in the group alongside Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes, died following a battle with cancer on March 30, surrounded by his family.
His wife, Kelsey Hardwick, confirmed the sad news on Instagram, sharing a black-and-white photo of the Glad You Came singer beside a sweet family snap with their children, Aurelia and Bodhi.
‘It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm Tom passed away peacefully earlier today with all of his family by his side,’ she wrote alongside the upload.
‘Our hearts are broken, Tom was the centre of our world and we can’t imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence.
‘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.
‘Thank you to everyone who has supported in his care throughout, he fought until the very end. I’m forever proud of you.’
Bolton-born Parker showed a passion for music from a young age, and learned to play the guitar when he was 16.
Shortly after, he auditioned for the X Factor in 2004, but didn’t get past the first round, with Simon Cowell among the judges turning him down partway through his performance of Flying Without Wings.
Reflecting on the scenes years later, he confessed that the rejection left him ‘shattered’, and he didn’t ‘sing for years’ after the failed audition.
Following the dismissal, he turned his attention to his studies and took on a Geography course at at Manchester Metropolitan, before dropping out to pursue his music career once again.
He joined the Wanted in 2009 and has never looked back, with the group releasing their debut single, All Time Low, the following year.
It was an instant smash in the UK, hitting number one on the charts, with second song Heart Vacancy peaking at number two.
Parker managed to show the X Factor judges what they missed out on as he hit the stage with his bandmates in 2010, performing during a results show.
After a successful tour, they dropped their second studio album in 2011, which housed their biggest single, Glad You Came – a song which helped them break America.
The Wanted announced a hiatus in 2014 to help the singers work on other projects, and Parker took the opportunity to collaborate with Fazer on song Fireflies that summer.
As well as singing, he proved his culinary talents in 2015, joining the line-up for Celebrity Masterchef and delighting John Torode and Gregg Wallace, making it into the semi-finals.
Parker has been in a relationship with Kelsey Hardwick for more than 11 years, after originally meeting in a nightclub, and announced their engagement in 2016.
They tied the knot in 2018, welcoming daughter Aurelia together a year later.
In 2020, they confirmed their second child, son Bodhi, had arrived – days after revealing the singer’s health issues.
On October 12, 2020, Parker announced he had been diagnosed with grade four glioblastoma, and had been undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment.
‘Hey guys, you know that we’ve both been quiet on social media for a few weeks and it’s time to tell you why,’ he said in a video on social media.
‘There’s no easy way to say this but I’ve sadly been diagnosed with a Brain Tumour and I’m already undergoing treatment.
‘We decided, after a lot of thought, that rather than hiding away and trying to keep it a secret, we would do one interview where we could lay out all the details and let everyone know the facts in our own way.
‘We are all absolutely devastated but we are gonna fight this all the way. 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.
‘It’s gonna be a tough battle but with everyone’s love and support we are going to beat this. Tom and Kelsey xxx.’
Parker put together the Inside My Head concert last year to raise awareness and vital funds into into research, reuniting with his bandmates on stage for an emotional performance in aid of Stand Up To Cancer.
As well as this, he fronted a Channel 4 documentary of the same name to discuss his diagnosis and his health battles.
Last year, Parker revealed that the glioblastoma was stable after having an MRI scan, also underwent special treatment at a clinic in Spain.
He was also able to join The Wanted as they embarked on a tour across the UK to celebrate their comeback.
In a joint statement shared on social media, George, McGuinness, Kaneswaran and Sykes have shared their devastation over his death.
‘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.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
