Tom Parker, singer of boy band The Wanted, has died aged 33 following a battle with brain cancer.
The Wanted star was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in October 2020, and was given just 12 months to live by doctors.
In September 2021, 11 months on from the diagnosis, Tom sang at the Stand Up 2 Cancer show at the Royal Albert Hall and even embarked on a Greatest Hits tour with his bandmates when the tumour was confirmed as ‘stable’ in November.
But a close family friend revealed today that Tom’s condition deteriorated rapidly once the tour came to an end earlier this year.
‘Tom loved touring – he was an absolute rockstar and determined to join the boys on stage. He was enjoying playing two songs a night and was doing well performing but it really took it out of him,’ the source told The Sun.
‘We all noticed how quickly Tom deteriorated during the tour but he had no regrets – he really wanted to do it.’
The tragic news of his death was confirmed by his wife Kelsey, 32, who he leaves behind along with their two children, Aurelia, two, and Bodhi, one.
Kelsey said today: ‘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.’
She went on to thank everyone who has cared for Tom during his illness, adding that he fought the disease until the very end.
A statement posted on the band’s official Instagram account read: ‘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.
‘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.’
A close family friend told The Sun that in his final moments, Tom asked to listen to the Oasis song ‘Live Forever’ along with his friends, family and fellow bandmates as he passed on.
The 33-year-old singer’s death comes just one week after he revealed he was in the process of writing a tell-all memoir amid his battle with brain cancer.
Tom took to Instagram last Tuesday to share the news with his fans and announce that the book would be released in July.
He said that the book, called Hope, isn’t going to be about ‘dying’ but about ‘living’ and ‘finding hope’ no matter what situation you are in.
Tom was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma and went public with his diagnosis in October 2020.
Last week, upon revealing a draft cover for his memoir, he shared a sweet video of an animated book flipping through pages, which contained photographs of Tom and his family.
In a caption alongside the post, he revealed: ‘Hi, I’m Tom Parker, a lot of you know me as one fifth of The Wanted, but I am also a father, a husband, and a son, that’s battling brain cancer.
‘My book, coming this July, is not about dying: It’s a book about living. It’s a book about finding hope in whatever situation you’re dealt, and living your best life no matter what.’
A source close to Tom’s wife Kelsey said that although the family were grieving, they were happy the singer was no longer in pain.
‘While they would give anything to have one more day with their beloved Tom, they didn’t want to see him suffer or be in pain anymore,’ the source told The Sun.
‘If there is any silver lining in this unimaginable time, it’s the fact that Tom is no longer in any discomfort and can rest now.’
During his last moment, the singer listened to Oasis’ 1994 hit Live Forever from their debut album Definitely Maybe.
A close friend told The Sun: ‘You might have thought Tom would opt for something by The Wanted but Oasis’ Live Forever sums him up perfectly – he was a rockstar and that’s how he wants to be remembered.’
Tributes for The Wanted singer have already flooded in.
Tom’s bandmate Siva Kaneswaran wrote on Instagram: ‘Hey Tom, hope you’re having a blast up there.
‘I am so grateful that I had a chance to witness your true courage. It has been a pleasure of my life Tommy Boy.
‘Thank you for letting us see you light up the world. Talk to you soon and see you later. Love you brother x’
Union J singer JJ Hamblett called Tom ‘an incredible artist and real family man’, tweeting: ‘I am speechless!
‘Such a cruel, cruel world… RIP Tom.. you will be missed but never never forgotten’.
Howard Donald from Take That – a band Tom had idolised as a member of a tribute act, also sent his condolences to the family of The Wanted star.
He tweeted: ‘So young and so sad. RIP @TomParker from @thewanted. Strength and love to his family.’
Reality TV star and presenter Rylan Clark tweeted: ‘I’ve just seen the news about Tom and that’s absolutely gutting. He was such a good’un. So sad to hear. Sending my love to Kelsey and the kids. Awful news.’
And noting his own father’s death following a battle with cancer last year, former Strictly Come Dancing star James Jordan wrote: ‘Just heard that Tom Parker passed away, the same wicked disease that took my father. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.’
No one expected a former member of tribute act Take That II to become part of one of the UK’s biggest boy bands but Tom managed to defy odds.
Tom was given just 12 months to live when he was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in 2020 at the age of 31.
Yet in October 2021, a year after he went public with his diagnosis, he was continuing to make public appearances and used his fame to advocate for more funding for brain tumour research, which only receives around one per cent of total cancer research funding.
Throughout his adult years Tom was instantly recognisable to many teenager and young people thanks to the success of his band.
The Wanted released their first album in October 2010, which reached number four in the UK Albums Chart and created three UK top 20 singles.
Their later singles released in 2012 helped the band find success across the pond in the United States and Canada, with their hit Glad You Came becoming the highest American chart entry by a British boy band at that time.
A few years later in 2014 after the band announced a hiatus, Tom turned his attention to television, reaching the semi finals of Celebrity Masterchef in 2015 before coming in third in skiing show The Jump in 2016.
One year later, the singer went back to the stage and was cast as male lead Danny Zuko in the UK tour of Grease in 2017, which led him to postpone his wedding to Kelsey Hardwick.
The pair had planned to tie the knot in 2017 after getting engaged the year before.
Speaking to Hello magazine at the time, Tom said: ‘I don’t want to take two weeks off, get married, do a week on honeymoon, then go back on tour.
‘I’m letting Kelsey put everything into place and I’ll just give her my credit card when needed.’
Despite his successful career Tom was not met with beginner’s luck when entering the music industry – he was first rejected by X Factor judges during the first round of auditions.
Tom told The Metro in 2011 that he received all nos from the judges before he had reached the chorus of his song choice (Flying Without Wings by Westlife) which left him ‘shattered’.
Following his failed attempt to make it to X Factor, Tom assumed the persona of Mark Owen in tribute band Take That II which saw him ‘singing to 50-year-old men smoking in the corner of working mens clubs’.
His audition for The Wanted took a more positive turn despite, according to Tom, turning up to the audition looking ‘chavvy.’
Tom said to Metro: ‘I turned up wearing a tracksuit with my hood up, so I looked a bit chavvy, but played Handbags and Gladrags’ on the guitar. Maybe our manager Jane saw something in me no-one else did at the time.’
Tom and Kelsey have had two children: daughter Aurelia born in 2019 and son Bodhi, who was born after Tom’s cancer diagnosis in 2020.
The singer said: ‘The kids are the one thing to get me up in the morning, they bring that positivity out of me.’
Source: Daily Mail
