Tom Parker, who rose to fame with hits like “Glad You Came” as singer in the British/Irish group The Wanted, has died at 33 two years after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
Parker’s wife, Kelsey Hardwick, announced the news on Instagram on Wednesday morning.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm Tom passed away peacefully earlier today with all of his family by his side,” she wrote. “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 of an inoperable brain tumor in an Instagram post back in 2020. “We are all absolutely devastated but we’re going to fight this all the way,” he wrote at the time.
In an interview with OK! magazine, the “Glad You Came” singer said that he started experiencing a series of unexplained seizures while on staycation in Norwich, England, and was diagnosed with a grade-four glioblastoma — which his doctors told him carries a life expectancy of three to 18 months.
Parker was well known the world over for his work as a singer in The Wanted, a British-Irish boy band that formed in 2009, had three hit singles in the U.K. with their self-titled debut album. Their 2011 follow-up, “Battleground,” produced additional hits, including the bouncy “Glad You Came” that hit No. 3 on the Billboard chart in the U.S.
The band proved so popular in the U.S. that E! commissioned a reality series, “The Wanted Life,” that chronicled the group as it recorded its third album and prepped a world tour. The show lasted only a single season.
