The Wanted star Max George has hailed his late bandmate Tom Parker as a “lion” and praised his “courage and dignity” in the wake of his cancer diagnosis.
The singer died, aged 33, on Wednesday surrounded by his family and bandmates – 17 months after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.
George shared a series of photos on Instagram showing them embracing, alongside a letter addressed directly to his friend.
He wrote: “Tom, my brother, my boy, my bandmate, my best bud…
“You lit up so many lives all over the world but I can only speak on behalf of mine.
“From the minute I met you, I knew this was gonna be a special chapter in my life. I was right.
“We did everything together, some amazing things, some outrageous things. I’m so proud of what we achieved.”
Parker performed with his bandmates – George, Nathan Sykes, Jay McGuiness and Siva Kaneswaran – on their comeback tour weeks before his death.
George added: “Thank you for choosing me as your friend. It was an honour from day one. I’m so grateful I was with you until the very end. The courage and dignity I’ve witnessed over the last few months surpassed the lion I already knew you were.
“I know your spirit will live on through your two beautiful babies, your wonderful wife, our music, your fans and in my heart.”
Sykes called Tom “the most passionate, funny, driven and inspiring person”.
And Kaneswaran wrote: “Thank you for letting us see you light up the world.”
Singers Ed Sheeran and Liam Payne, and boyband Blue, were also among those who paid tribute.
Tom, who married Kelsey in 2018, leaves a daughter, Aurelia, who is two-and-a-half years old, and the couple’s 18-month-old son Bodhi.
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