(NEXSTAR) – Tom Parker, singer and former member of the British band The Wanted, died Wednesday, his wife and the band announced on Instagram. He was 33 years old.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm Tom passed away peacefully earlier today with all of his family by his side,” wrote his wife, actress Kesley Hardwick. “Our hearts are broken, Tom was the centre of our world and we can’t imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence.”
Parker’s death comes less than two years after he announced his stage four glioblastoma diagnosis, reports CNN. Glioblastoma is an especially aggressive form of brain cancer. “With optimal treatment, patients with GBs have a median survival of less than one year,” reads a medical journal on the cancer.
Parker was best known for his time as part of the boy band The Wanted, whose song “Glad You Came” was a major hit in 2011.
The band went on hiatus in 2014, but reunited to release a greatest hits album in 2021. They launched a reunion tour earlier this year. Parker appeared in a wheelchair with the band on stage at a show in Liverpool earlier this month and posted a picture with his bandmates as recently as Monday.
“Max, Jay, Siva, Nathan and the whole Wanted family are devastated by the tragic and premature loss of our bandmate Tom Parker,” said a message on The Wanted’s Instagram page. “He was our brother, words can’t express the loss and sadness we feel.”
