Ben Shephard says Tom Parker was 'full of joy and fun' on 'GMB' months before he died
Good Morning Britain hosts Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard have paid tribute to The Wanted’s Tom Parker, saying he was “full of fun” when he was last on the show.
The singer and father-of-two passed away on Wednesday at the age of 33, after battling an inoperable brain tumour.
As the ITV show got under way on Thursday, Reid recalled how Parker had appeared on GMB just before Christmas last year.
Read more: The Wanted star Tom Parker dies aged 33 after brain tumour battle
She said he was “so much fun” and “kept smiling through”.
'He was so full of energy and fun.'
Ben and @susannareid100 pay tribute to The Wanted's Tom Parker, who has died aged 33.
Our love and thoughts are with Tom's family and friends. pic.twitter.com/ttaNZTACmC— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) March 31, 2022
Shepherd said the late singer "was typically full of joy and fun and enthusiasm".
"He was so full of energy and fun and I think the band getting back together was very much centred around his illness and his diagnosis," he said.
“And they were still making plans for what was going to happen and they were on tour, and where they were going to go, and they were excited and he was excited to be there.
“And it was so lovely to have him with them and them all together."
The TV presenter said he was “very, very sad” to hear that Parker had passed away.
“It was one of those moments that I think we were all desperately hoping wasn’t going to happen, the battle that he was taking on and the treatment that he was having was going to work,” he said.
Parker was diagnosed with inoperable stage-four glioblastoma in 2020, while his wife Kelsey was pregnant with their second child, and had kept fans updated about his battle.
Kelsey announced his death on Instagram on Wednesday.
She said the singer had died with all of his family by his side and that their hearts were “broken”.
His bandmates — Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Nathan Sykes and Jay McGuiness – said they were “devastated”.
“He was our brother, words can’t express the loss and sadness we feel,” they said on Instagram.
This Morning also paid tribute to the singer, with presenter Holly Willoughby saying it was “completely heartbreaking”.
Read more: Rod Stewart reached out after cancer diagnosis, says Tom Parker
“Thirty-three is so young,” she said.
Willoughby added that the show was sending love to Kelsey and the rest of Parker’s family.
Watch: The Wanted star Tom Parker dies aged 33 after brain tumour diagnosis
