The Wanted’s Tom Parker receives in memoriam tribute at the Grammys
A tribute was paid to The Wanted star during the In Memoriam segment
By Joe Goggins
Tom Parker of The Wanted was remembered at the Grammys last night, after his death last Wednesday (March 30) at the age of 33.
Parker, who passed last week after having been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in 2020, was included in the In Memoriam segment of the ceremony. Also among those memorialised were Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and stage musical legend Stephen Sondheim.
As part of a star-studded tribute to Sondheim, singers including Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr and ‘West Side Story’ star Rachel Zegler performed a medley of his songs. The ceremony in Las Vegas – delayed from January due to an Omicron-fuelled surge in COVID-19 cases in the US – saw Jon Batiste and Olivia Rodrigo win big; meanwhile Foo Fighters completed a clean sweep of the three categories they were nominated in, just over a week since the sudden loss of Hawkins; he was found dead in a Bogotá hotel room on March 25.
Confirming the death of Parker in an Instagram post last week, his wife, Kelsey, said: ”It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm Tom passed away peacefully earlier today with all of his family by his side. Our hearts are broken, Tom was the centre of our world and we can’t imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence.”
“We are truly thankful for the outpouring of love and support,” her message went on, “and ask that we all unite to ensure Tom’s light continues to shine for his beautiful children. Thank you to everyone who has supported in his care throughout, he fought until the very end. I’m forever proud of you.” Parker leaves behind a daughter and a son.
The Wanted, of whom Parker was a founding member, were one of the few UK boy bands of recent years to successfully break America. Their UK number one ‘Glad You Came’ made it to number three on the US singles chart, with their self-titled compilation album hitting the top ten on the Billboard 200. They also starred in their own US reality show on E!, ‘The Wanted Life’. The band have sold over 10 millions record worldwide.