Tom Parker's tearful wife Kelsey gripped the hands of her family as she followed her beloved husband's hearse to say her final goodbye this morning.
Sun shone as Tom, who died aged 33 from a rare brain tumour on March 30, was driven through the picturesque Petts Wood in a horse drawn carriage, with The Wanted's heartbroken fans lining the high street to say farewell.
Kelsey paid tribute to her "soulmate" Tom in a pre-recorded message which was played out to Saint Francis of Assisi Parish Church, with mourners heard crying as she said: "If love alone could have saved you, you would have lived forever".
The Wanted's Max George, 33, also made a moving eulogy, telling Tom's loved ones he "will always be a brother to me and my bandmates" and "will always remember his laugh".
In his speech, which also drew laughter from the crowd as recalled "he's the only member of The Wanted to have a punch up with every member of the The Wanted", he said: "All I've got to say is he's left us far too early.
"We'll miss him so much and I think the heartbreak shared here today is a credit to the love Tom spread around the world, outside. It's a credit to him. You rest easy mate."
During Kelsey's heart-breaking tribute to her husband, she spoke about how the family will "carry on your legacy" and he "will always be my angel in the sky".
"Tom you were a true warrior these past 18 months. You didn't allow this to hold you back," she said.
"You crammed everything in from writing a book, bringing The Wanted back together, a tour, a new house and raising money and awareness for people with this illness, all with me by your side nagging you," she said in the message played out to the congregation.
"You've shown our children how to be brave, how to be courageous and strong and even in our darkest days we stayed positive, positive Parker's forever.
"They will always know how much you loved them and let's be honest, they've got the best guardian angel guarding them through life and so have I.
"We will carry on your legacy forever."
Kelsey continued through tears: "Soulmates, that's what we are. You are my best friend but more.
"The one person in the world who knows me better than anyone else and who I know better than anyone. You are the one who accepted me and believed in me before anyone else did and we have truly lived a thousand years in 13 years.
"We've had a lifetime together and I will carry you, my soulmate until we meet again. Our souls are endless, I can feel you with me now remember I love you more than you can ever say. You will always be my angel in the sky.
"If love alone could have saved you, you would have lived forever. I love you babe, from your babe."
Max held back tears as he arrived at Saint Francis of Assisi Parish Church alongside his bandmates Jay McGuinness, Siva Kaneswaran and Nathan Sykes, with Liam Payne also heading to the chapel for the service.
Liam Payne and TOWIE's James Argent were also in attendance.
Tom's loved ones watched his black coffin, which had a beautiful spray of calla lilies laid atop of it, be placed into the carriage.
Hundreds of fans dressed in black fell silent as it was placed into the horse-drawn carriage, with many crying as it was taken from W Uden & Sons funeral parlour to the church.
They cheered and clapped as the family, led by Kelsey, 32, walked behind the carriage to the church. Their two young children Bodhi, one, and Aurelia, two, were not present for the procession.
A photograph of Parker in a white rose-adorned frame was placed inside the carriage, alongside multi-coloured flowers shaped to read the word "daddy", with photographs of handprints from his children.
As they arrived at the church for the funeral, The Wanted bandmates were Tom's pallbearers as they carried his black coffin into the chapel for the service.
Champagne Supernova by Oasis played as the coffin of Tom Parker was carried into St Francis of Assisi church in Petts Wood for the funeral service.
Pallbearers carefully removed the multicoloured "Daddy" flower arrangement from the horse-drawn carriage, taking it inside the church along with the heart-shaped red roses spelling "Tom".
During the service Handbags and Gladrags by Stereophonics were sung accompanied by the piano and violin as well as Amazing Grace.
Tom's bandmate, Siva, 33, also made a eulogy during the service. He said: "There can never be one paragraph to contain the legendary Tom Parker, but one can try. First, we would like to thanks Kelsey and the kids for welcoming us here today.
"It's so wonderful to see the support at this time, I know we wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I know he is loving this.
"The loss of someone you love is such an undefinable thing, it appears to shadow your life and can overwhelm you with sadness. But losing someone also reveals to us how much of an important person they were. How much of an amazing man he was.
"If we were to close our eyes and remember Tom as a person, I bet of us would come up with totally different accounts of him, right?
"A loving friend, husband, brother, father and so on. He was all of these and so much more."
As it drew to an end, Live Forever by Oasis was played, with the song being what Tom was listening to when he passed away.
Kelsey walked behind Tom's coffin with her mother and carried a single white rose.
She kissed the coffin, telling him: "I love you" before laying the stem on top before Tom was taken to a crematorium.
Max also broke down in tears as he laid a hand on the hearse to say goodbye before getting into the same car as his The Wanted bandmates.
Kelsey publicly invited fans to line the route to the church where the service was shown on a screen outside.
Katie Thurston, 25, travelled up from Southampton to show her support and told MirrorOnline: "They've been our strength for so long.
"It was nice to show them how many people are here for them. It's important to show them that they're loved and supported. It was incredibly emotional watching the boys do their eulogies. The poem the end was really beautiful."
Laura-Moon Chalk, 24, from Whittam in Essex: "I used to collect their Top Of The Pops magazines and I always wanted to meet The Wanted.
"It was very bittersweet, it just meant so much for me to say goodbye properly and be with like-minded people. Obviously the support is for Kelsey and the rest of the band.
"The whole band mean the world to me and I just want to be there for them."
Fan Hannah Finn, 22, a social media administrator who travelled from Birmingham for the funeral, said: "He has been a huge part of my life. They have opened it up to us and it is really lovely of them.
‘"It is so nice that he cared so much about his fans and let them be included. Today is really emotional for me because he was a big part of my childhood.
"I met him when he was doing his Grease tour in 2017 and he was so lovely. He was hugging everyone and signing autographs even though he had done a full show before.
"I wish his family all the best. They are a really strong family. His wife has been amazing and so positive.’"
The dad-of-two sadly passed away aged 33 on March 30, surrounded by his family and bandmates, after battling an inoperable brain tumour.
Writing on Instagram last week, wife Kelsey told the late star's fans: "Thomas Anthony Parker. There will be a private celebration of life on Wednesday 20th April. We know many of you would like to pay your respects as well, so would love for you to join us in Petts Wood from 10am.
"It would be beautiful to have everyone line the route as we head to our private service. You are then welcome to join us outside the church for the duration where the service will be relayed on screens."
Kelsey confirmed Tom's sad passing on Wednesday 30 March 2022, writing on Instagram: "Tom was the centre of our world and we can’t imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence."
Tom received the devastating brain tumour diagnosis while wife Kelsey was pregnant with their second child.
The Bolton-born singer and Kelsey got married in 2018, after meeting in a nightclub in 2009, and they welcomed daughter Aurelia in 2019.
The happy couple found out in May 2020 they were expecting their second child together, with little Bodhi born later that year.
Tom disclosed in October 2020 that he had been diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma and had begun radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Despite his diagnosis, he had performed on stage with his bandmates as part of their much-delayed reunion tour.
The group, best known for hits Glad You Came, Chasing The Sun and All Time Low, also recently released a greatest hits album, entitled Most Wanted – The Greatest Hits.
