The member of a well known band has died after a fight with a terminal illness. Wanted singer Tom Parker has died at the age of 33 on Wednesday March 30 after a battle with terminal brain cancer glioblastoma.
As reported by the Mirror the singer was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour while his wife Kelsey was pregnant with their second child. The dad-of-two previously told OK! Magazine how his diagnosis didn’t feel real, explaining: "I knew something wasn’t right, but I never expected it to be this. You never think this will happen to you."
Recently, Tom had become so weak he needed to use a wheelchair. Bandmate Max George heaped praise on him as he shared a snap of Tom in his chair.
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“I mean… Come on,” Max had captioned the image, adding a heart eyes emoji to express his admiration for his pal.Tom’s strength deteriorated to the point he needed the chair not long after he had joined his bandmates on stage during their reunion tour.
Tom had missed some of the shows after having to extend his stay at a specialist clinic in Spain. After returning to the UK, Tom left fans delighted when he joined Max, Nathan Sykes, Siva Kaneswaran, and Jay McGuinness - from Newark - on stage, sitting on a throne.
The boyband star had announced the news of his prognosis on Instagram to fans ahead of his son’s birth in 2020. Sharing a sweet snap of himself with his then-pregnant wife and young daughter, he penned: "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.
"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.”
Tom vowed at the time to fight his cancer, and had already started looking for experimental treatments abroad while having chemotherapy and radio therapy in the UK to prolong his life. "We are all absolutely devastated but we are gonna fight this all the way,” Tom vowed.
“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.”
Kelsey had revealed how she’d begged doctors not to tell Tom how long he has to live over fears he would count down the days. She explained how she didn't want to know how long doctors predicted he would survive, saying: "We didn't ask for one [a prognosis].
“I said that for Tom's state of mind, and who he is as a person, that would not be good for him. He would literally sit here and count down the days and not live his life."
"I’d be like, 'Day one, done'," Tom admitted. His loving wife added: "We're not thinking like that. No one can define you by that.
“Tom went to the hospital with his brother before because I couldn't go, and I said to his brother, 'Don’t let them tell him', and his brother said he was fishing for an answer.
“I’m in groups with people going through the same thing, and they said there are people who were told they had three months to live and they're still going five years later."
Tom and Kelsey got married in 2018. They welcomed daughter Aurelia in 2019 and found out in May 2020 they were expecting their second child together, with little Bodhi born in 2020.
Tom and Kelsey’s love story goes back to when they first crossed paths in a nightclub in 2009. Later that year, Tom found fame with The Wanted and a legion of female fans, but their relationship went from strength to strength.
The band rallied around the Bolton-raised musician in his final years. Tom leaves behind his wife Kelsey and their two young children.
The band released their self-titled debut album in 2010 and went on to enjoy several hits including UK chart-topping singles All Time Low and Glad You Came. In 2014, The Wanted announced they were taking some time apart so that each member could pursue personal endeavours.
Before their split, The Wanted had amassed worldwide success, including two UK number one singles and nine top-10 singles, as well as four billboard 100 singles, selling over 900,000 records, three platinum albums and two sold-out arena tours.
