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Daily Mirror
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Hana Carter

Tom Parker beams from golden throne in joyous final The Wanted appearance before death

Tom Parker was cheered by thousands of adoring fans as he beamed from a golden throne on what would be his final time on stage with his The Wanted bandmates.

The singer who tragically lost his battle with brain cancer aged 33 today, was branded a "hero" as he joined his band members Max George, Nathan Sykes, Siva Kaneswaran and Jay McGuinness in Liverpool.

Tom was showered with love and support from his biggest fans - adoring wife Kelsey and their children Aurelia, two and Bodhi, one, who were there to cheer him on in audience.

The singer, who was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma in 2020, was forced to pull out of The Wanted's first series of gigs after he was too weak to walk.

He then travelled to Spain to receive revolutionary treatment at a private hospital on the Costa del Sol.

After flying back to England, Tom joined his band on the tour, supporting them from backstage as well as making brief appearances on stage.

Max George called him a "hero" at what unbeknown to them at the time, was Tom's last show at the M&S Bank Arena.

Sharing a black and white snap of them both, Max wrote: “It’s been an epic few weeks…One last show my boy…You are a true hero mate. Can’t wait for the next tour with you…Liverpool… Can you hear us???!”

In another post he shared a photo of the boys sat around Tom as he sat on the throne with a huge smile on his face.

Tom joined his bandmates for as many dates as he could (INSTAGRAM)

"We did it. @tomparkerofficial .. YOU did it! All I can say in words is thank you for making such beautiful memories over the last few weeks.

"I love every single one of you who stuck with us. May our hearts be full, like our drinks tonight, may we sing and dance til’ we lose our minds, we are only young if we seize the night, tonight we own the night."

On the Manchester stop of the tour, Tom sipped on a bottle of Peroni before taking rest under a blanket.

Max George (left) has been sharing photos and videos from the tour (Instagram)

Just weeks later, Tom's wife Kelsea wrote a heartbreaking tribute for her husband on Instagram.

"It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm Tom passed away peacefully earlier today with all of his family by his side. Our hearts are broken.

"Tom was the centre of our world and we can’t imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence.

His wife Kelsey and their children watched his last appearance (Instagram)
He was filmed resting backstage at a recent concert (Instagram)

"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."

He had recently been receiving treatment in Spain at a specialist clinic.

The much-loved singer has been a member of the Wanted since it was formed in 2009, alongside his bandmates Max, Siva Kaneswaran, 33, Jay McGuiness, 31, and Nathan Sykes, 28.

Before he died, Tom penned a book about his battle with the disease.

He shared a sweet video on Instagram of an animated book flipping over pages with photos of his family and band members.

In the video he said: "Hi, I’m Tom Parker, a lot of you know me as one fifth of The Wanted, but I am also a father, a husband, and a son, that’s battling brain cancer.

He was branded a hero for joining the boys on stage despite his illness (Getty Images North America)

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"My book, coming this July, is not about dying: It's a book about living. It's a book about finding hope in whatever situation you're dealt, and living your best life no matter what.

"It will show you how having faith in hope and daring to dream means you can carry on, against all odds. Pre order your copy now."

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct 0207 29 33033.

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