Max George has paid a touching tribute to his The Wanted bandmate Tom Parker, who died on Wednesday after a battle with brain cancer.
Max, who is from Manchester, described Tom as a ‘lion’ who faced his illness with ‘courage and dignity’.
The singer added that he was ‘heartbroken beyond words’ following the death of his close friend.
He said: “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 Wanted recently headed back to the live stage for a reunion tour, including an emotional homecoming gig at Manchester’s AO Arena.
Tom was able to join bandmates Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, and Nathan Sykes, as well as Max, where he sat on a throne wearing dark sunglasses in front of huge audiences.
Behind-the-scenes snippets from the tour showed Max and Tom were rarely apart in his final weeks, from sharing hotel rooms to embracing on stage.
The news of Tom’s death was confirmed by his wife Kelsey on Wednesday, who said: “Our hearts are broken, Tom was the centre of our world and we can’t imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence.”
Max has now broken his silence to describe the ‘special chapter’ that was his friendship with Tom.
His full tribute reads: “Tom, my brother, my boy, my band mate, 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. Im so proud of what we achieved as band mates and as brothers. I’m also proud that I was there the night you met Kels. I remember saying to you, ‘you like her don’t you?’.. to which you replied, ‘bro, like you wouldn’t believe’. You two really are like peas and carrots.
Read more: All five members of The Wanted posted the same thing just days before Tom Parker’s death
“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 have witnessed over the last few months surpassed the lion I already knew you were.
“The huge hole now left in my life will forever be there, but I know your spirit will live on through your two beautiful babies, your wonderful wife, our music, your fans and in my heart.
“I’m heartbroken beyond words right now and I cannot even begin to imagine what the future holds without you, but whatever I do going forward, even on my darkest days, I can always smile and say, ‘I shared the stage with Tom Parker’.
“I am going to miss you so much. I love you mate. Always. George.”
Featured image: Instagram, @maxgeorge
