A fundraiser has been set by Tom Parker's wife following his death earlier this week.
The broken-hearted Kelsey Parker was married to Tom, a member of UK boyband The Wanted, and is now raising money in his honour after he died of brain cancer. The singer, from Bolton, was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in 2020.
He had been receiving treatment at a specialist clinic in Spain. The GoFundMe thanks fans and says if love had have saved Tom "he would have lived forever".
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Kelsey wrote on the GoFundMe page in memory of her 33-year-old husband: "I am Kelsey Parker, very proud wife of Tom Parker, probably best known for being one-fifth of UK boyband The Wanted, but to those who knew him he was my husband, a Daddy, son, brother and friend.
"As many of you know, Tom was diagnosed with a brain tumour in October 2020 and on Wednesday 30th March 2022 he passed away peacefully with all of his closest friends and family by his side.
"Our hearts are truly broken, Tom was the centre of our world and we can't imagine life without him, but one of the biggest sources of comfort over the last 2 years has been the outpouring of love and support we’ve all received. We can’t thank everyone enough for holding Tom, myself and the children in your thoughts and prayers, for lighting candles and sharing beautiful messages of hope and condolence.
"We want to take everyone’s incredible love, support and generosity and turn our grief into something positive and to keep Tom’s memory alive forever. We politely request that instead of gifts and flowers, donations are made to this GoFundMe account with all proceeds eventually going to amazing causes in Tom’s name, to help others in need. We simply couldn’t have got through the last 2 years without the help and support we have received and if we can offer it back to others that would be the best way to honour Tom and make our two children, Aurelia and Bodhi proud.
"From the bottom of our hearts, a huge thank you. If love alone could have saved Tom, he would have lived forever…"
The fundraiser has only been online for a day but is close to eclipsing £30,000, six times the original target of £5,000. A vigil and balloon release is set to take place this evening in memory of the dad-of-two.
The Wanted – comprising of members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, Nathan Sykes and Tom – were formed in 2009, and have sold more than two million singles in the UK. The band split in 2014 but announced that they would reunite with a greatest hits album titled ‘Most Wanted: The Greatest Hits’ in September last year.
