Tom Parker of The Wanted was mourned by his group mates Wednesday at a private funeral in Orpington, England.
Max George, Jay McGuiness, Siva Kaneswaran and Nathan Sykes served as pallbearers at St. Francis of Assisi church. Among those paying their respects was singer Liam Payne.
Parker died on March 30, a little more than a year after being diagnosed with brain cancer. He is survived by wife Kelsey and children Aurelia and Bodhi.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the church for a procession that included a horse-drawn hearse. Music at the service included a piano version of Céline Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" as well as the Oasis track "Champagne Supernova."
In his eulogy, George said: "Tom was, and always will be, a brother to me and my bandmates. He made us smile from the start. His love for music and strive for success outmatched any of us.
"One thing I’ll always remember is his laugh."
George added: "All I have got to say is he left us far too early and we’ll miss him so much. The heartbreak shared today is a credit to the love Tom spread around the world."
A photo of Parker was seen on the hearse. Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
In October 2020, Parker went public with news that he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. "We are all absolutely devastated but we are gonna fight this all the way,” he wrote in an Instagram post at the time.“It’s gonna be a tough battle but with everyone’s love and support we are going to beat this.”
Parker, who had stage four glioblastoma, vowed: “I’m going to be here. I'm going to fight this.
Early last year, Parker said there had been a “significant reduction” in the size of the tumour and he was “responding well to treatment.”
Last November, he reported that the tumour was “under control.”
Tom Parker, pictured in 2021. Anthony Devlin / Getty Images
The Wanted enjoyed a string of top five singles in the UK, including two number ones, while their 2011 track "Glad You Came" made it to No. 2 in Canada. They split up in 2014 but reunited last year for a charity concert and to promote a greatest hits collection. The group was performing again this year.