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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
Entertainment
Sophie Buchan

The Wanted's re-released Gold Forever song in memory of Tom Parker hits number one

On March 30, The Wanted's Tom Parker sadly passed away leaving millions around the world devastated.

He died 17 months after being diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma - an aggressive form of brain cancer.

The 33-year-old, who makes up one fifth of the much-loved boy band, was laid to rest last week on April 20.

One of the songs played at his funeral was their hit song Gold Forever - a song which was played at the request of Tom's family.

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Rather than playing the version fans know and love, they instead made a version specifically for his funeral entitled 'Gold Forever (for Tom)' and have decided to release it will all profits going towards The Brain Tumour Charity - a cause Tom advocated for.

Gold Forever was originally released in 2012 and reached number three on the Official Chart Company’s UK singles chart, making it The Wanted’s third top 10 single.

Since its release today (April 27) the song has hit number one on the iTunes charts.

Writing to their fans in an e-mail on what fans and the band call Wanted Wednesday - the band sent the first newsletter since the passing of their band mate.

The single is available to download now. (The Wanted.)

They wrote: "Following the recent tragic passing of Tom Parker, Gold Forever (for Tom) has been created.

"This originally was borne from a request of Tom’s family to play Gold Forever at his memorial. The Wanted decided to create a special version and Gold Forever (for Tom) was produced.

"The track was played at the memorial and the band posted it the same night so the fans could hear it. The reaction from them was so warm and positive, that at the request of the fans, Gold Forever (for Tom) is now being made available for them to download and keep in memory of him.

"The Wanted, Island Records, writers & producers will be donating all net proceeds* to The Brain Tumour Charity, a UK-based charity dedicated to funding research, raising awareness and providing support and information to people with brain tumours."

Alex Lochrane, CEO at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: “Gold Forever (For Tom) is a beautiful song and a moving tribute to Tom – and we are profoundly grateful to The Wanted that donations from the sales of this single will help us fund world-class research and vital support services for anyone affected by brain tumours.

“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Tom’s wife Kelsey, their children, family and friends at this saddest of times, as well as with fans of The Wanted worldwide.

“We have also seen such an outpouring of affection for Tom from so many families affected by a brain tumour, for the incredible impact he made in such a short space of time in raising awareness and giving hope to others living with the disease. So many fans of the band have taken on challenges such as skydives and 10k runs or even to organise concerts to raise money in Tom’s name.

“Brain tumours remain the leading cause of cancer death in children and adults under 40 – we know progress isn’t happening fast enough and we need to act now. We urgently need to see greater investment in world-class research, to help diagnose the disease earlier, to better understand the causes and find new treatments, in order to give those affected hope of more time to live and a better quality of life. That’s why we’re aiming to raise and invest a further £40m in world-class science by 2027.

“Thank you so much to Jay, Max, Siva and Nathan, and to everyone at The Wanted and Island Records, for this extraordinary gesture in memory of Tom – and thank you to each and every person who buys this single.

“By buying Gold Forever (For Tom), you’ll be helping fund pioneering research and trusted support services, to help us towards our goal to double survival rates and halve the harm that brain tumours cause on people’s quality of life. A cure can’t wait.”

Kelsey, Tom's wife, has also set up a page where you can donate money with the proceeds going to amazing causes in Tom’s name and to help others in need. It has since raised over £60,000. You can donate here.

You can also listen to and purchase the re-release track here.

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