Tom Parker (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tom Parker
Parker in 2012
Born	Thomas Anthony Parker (1988-08-04)4 August 1988 Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
Died	30 March 2022(2022-03-30) (aged 33)
Occupation	Singer
Spouse(s)	Kelsey Hardwick ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	2
Musical career
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano
Years active	2009–2022
Associated acts	The Wanted

Thomas Anthony Parker (4 August 1988 – 30 March 2022) was an English singer, widely known as a member of the British boy band The Wanted. In 2013, Parker appeared with his bandmates in the E! channel reality television series The Wanted Life. After the band's hiatus in 2014, he embarked on a solo career.

In October 2020, at the age of 32, Parker was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. The Wanted reunited in September 2021, but Parker succumbed to his tumour and died on 30 March 2022, aged 33.

Early life

Parker was born and grew up in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. He learned to play the guitar at the age of sixteen after trying out his older brother's guitar. He then went on to audition for The X Factor, but did not get past the first round. He went to Manchester Metropolitan University and studied Geography, but dropped out in pursuit of a professional singing career. Parker joined a Take That tribute band known as Take That II and toured Northern England, before joining The Wanted in 2009.

Career

Parker alongside his bandmates in The Wanted

In 2009 a mass audition was held by Jayne Collins to form a boy band, after successfully launching Parade and The Saturdays. Parker auditioned and was selected as one of five members, along with Nathan Sykes, Siva Kaneswaran, Max George, and Jay McGuiness out of the thousands of others who auditioned. The band was formed and together they worked on their debut album before finding a name for their band, The Wanted. Their debut single "All Time Low" was released on 25 July 2010 and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. Their second single, "Heart Vacancy" was released on 17 October 2010. The song hit number two on the UK Singles Chart, and at number 18 in Ireland. Their third single, "Lose My Mind" was released on 26 December 2010. The song peaked at number 19 on the chart and peaked at number 30 in Ireland. In 2011 the single was released in Germany and in 2012 in the United States. In 2013, in support of a crossover appeal to the American music market, the group starred in their own reality series on E!. The series, The Wanted Life only aired for one season.

The Wanted announced their decision to break up in January 2014. Parker, as a member of the band has sold over 12 million records worldwide.

Parker was also an avid DJ, and collaborated with Richard Rawson on a track called "Fireflies", which was released in August 2014. In May 2015 he took part in the UK version of Celebrity MasterChef and was eliminated during the semi-finals of the competition. In October 2015 he released a solo single titled "Undiscovered" along with his own website and tour dates. In February 2016 it was confirmed that he was to replace Tina Hobley on the Channel 4 show The Jump after she fell on her arm and dislocated her elbow. He eventually finished third in the series.

In 2017 Parker was cast as Danny Zuko in the UK tour of the musical Grease.

Personal life

Parker married Kelsey Hardwick in 2018. Their daughter was born in July 2019, and a son in October 2020.

Illness and death

On 12 October 2020, Parker announced that he had been diagnosed with an inoperable grade 4 glioblastoma. He suffered a seizure in July and was put on the waiting list for an MRI scan, later suffering a seizure on a family trip. In January 2021, Parker posted to Instagram that his tumour had been "significantly reduced" and that he was continuing his treatment. In September, Parker held a special charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall, in aid of Stand Up to Cancer. The event was called "Inside My Head", and featured artists such as Becky Hill, McFly, Liam Payne, and the first performance with his bandmates, The Wanted, since they announced their hiatus in 2014. On 3 November, Parker announced on Twitter that his brain tumour was stable: "had the results from my latest scan ... and I'm delighted to say it is stable."

Parker died of complications from glioblastoma on 30 March 2022, at the age of 33.

Discography

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Tom Parker (cantante) para niños