English singer Tom Parker, known for being a member of the British boy band The Wanted, passed away on Wednesday after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was 33. The news of Parker's death was shared by his wife Kelsey Hardwick on Instagram. She wrote, "It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm Tom passed away peacefully earlier today with all of 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. 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."
Parker first announced his diagnosis with a grade-four glioblastoma tumor back in October 2020. He wrote, "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." Speaking to OK Magazine, Parker revealed that he was hospitalized after he experienced two seizures back in the summer of 2020.
Born and raised in Bolton, U.K., Parker took an interest in music at age 16. He later auditioned on The X Factor and was eliminated from the reality television music competition during the first round. Parker also toured Northern England when he was a part of a Take That tribute band, Take That II, before he joined The Wanted. He co-founded the band in 2009 along with Jay McGuiness, Max George, Nathan Sykes, and Siva Kaneswaran and went on to garner popularity after their debut single 'All Time Low' in 2010. The group then signed with Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande’s manager Scooter Braun and collaborated to deliver hit songs like 'Glad You Came' from their second album titled Battleground. Some other big hits of The Wanted include 'Chasing the Sun', 'Heart Vacancy' and 'Lose My Mind'. The group later began pursuing solo projects after they went on an indefinite hiatus in 2014.
