Some days stay gold forever. The members of The Wanted suffered an unfathomable loss after their bandmate Tom Parker died Wednesday (March 30) following a long battle with brain cancer. Parker’s wife, Kelsey, announced the news the day of, with the band releasing a joint statement later. Now, his surviving bandmates — Siva Kaneswaran, Max George, Nathan Sykes, and Jay McGuiness — have begun making individual statements remembering their late friend and the good times they had together, honoring their years, as Parker would say, of being a bunch of lads having great fun.
Kaneswaran posted a video from one of their concerts showing the five of them squeezing in for a group hug with Parker in the middle. Their 2012 track “Gold Forever” plays over the slow motion clip, in which George can be seen kissing Parker on the cheek.
“We’ll always be there for you brother,” Kaneswaran captioned the video.
He also posted a photo of Parker and wrote he hopes his friend is “having a blast up there.” “I am so grateful that I had a chance to witness your true courage,” he continued. “It has been an absolute pleasure Tommy Boy. Thank you for letting us see you light up the world. Talk to you soon and see you later.”
Also speaking publicly about his grief is Sykes, who uploaded a five-minute video from a concert The Wanted played in Liverpool just two weeks ago. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to share this video but I thought that some of you may take comfort in seeing so much joy in one place with a few additions that have definitely made me feel all kinds of emotions today,” he wrote.
The video shows the band performing “Gold Forever” and cuts in and out of clips of Parker at different moments from the past 13 years. Though he remains seated in the Liverpool footage, he wears a big smile and bops his head excitedly to the music while he sings.
“Tom was the most passionate, funny, driven and inspiring person you could wish to meet,” Sykes continued. “I’m so grateful that I was given the honour of being a part of his journey, and even more grateful I can call him my friend as well as one of four brothers.”
See what the guys of The Wanted have posted in honor of Tom Parker below:
