Three years after Tom Parker’s death, his former The Wanted bandmate opened up about a heartbreaking apology he received from the singer before his death
It’s hard to think of many things more important to a musician than prepping for a North American tour. There’s so much to do – you’ve got to rehearse to make sure you sound at the top of your game and you’ve got to catch a flight to your first tour stop. You’ve even got to make sure your suitcase has enough socks to last you for the months you’re there.
But in and amongst doing all that, The Wanted’s Siva Kaneswaran made time to front GenesisCare UK’s Memory Bank – an art installation in Oxford that explores and celebrates the first-hand experiences of brain cancer patients, their friends and family.
Sitting down with us just days before he would perform to a crowd in Las Vegas, Siva explained why he wanted to be part of GenesisCare’s installation. “The number one fear of people with brain tumours is losing their memory,” he starts.
“This exhibition helps create a positive mindset for people with brain cancer. They can go to the exhibition and hear their memories.” Focusing on people with glioblastoma, a highly aggressive and malignant brain tumour, the Memory Bank showcases how human connections help them and their loved ones navigate such a challenging new chapter in their lives. It creates hope and positivity, which can increase the life expectancy of a glioblastoma patient and enhance their quality of life.
“It’s so important to harness the power of hope and a positive mindset after diagnosis,” said Siva. “And I want to raise awareness and money for new treatments.”
The singer explained that because “cancer is such a taboo topic”, particularly brain cancer, it isn’t spoken about nearly as much as it should be, especially since it is one of the top killers of people under 40. When it’s not spoken about, nothing changes. But when it is, the types of research and treatments that can arise, such as a special dye that a patient can drink to make a tumour glow orange during surgery.
Talking about cancer can save lives. Siva adds: “I know from personal experience how important that is.”Three years ago, Siva’s bandmate Tom Parker died after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. Following his diagnosis, he was given six to twelve months to live. “Tom lived to 18. He helped thousands of people.
“Cancer is so taboo. But Tom was a very avid campaigner. He was so adamant and went into parliament to talk about treatments. Access to early treatment is so crucial. Tom’s legacy is this. My legacy is this. His legacy and my legacy are shared. If I can help one person gain access to treatment, that’s a job well done.”
Tom was diagnosed with a grade IV glioblastoma in October 2020, after suffering from a seizure in July. After months of treatment, Tom revealed his tumour had “significantly reduced”. By September 2021, he was well enough to reunite with his Wanted bandmates, including Siva, for a charity concert in aid of Stand Up to Cancer. Two months later, Tom announced on X that he’d had the results from the latest scan of his tumour – “and I’m delighted to say it is stable”.
Yet, despite his improvement, by March 2022, Tom had suffered a sudden deterioration of his condition and died at the age of 33. To Siva, Tom wasn’t just his friend who had brain cancer and died. He was a family man, whose most important relationships were with his wife, Kelsey and their two children. “I used to call them the Positive Parkers,” Siva said, crediting their positivity with why Tom lived so long after his diagnosis.
“Tom was the first of us to get married, the first to have children. He spent every second with them and loved his family so much. That family was so protected and cherished.”
How much Tom loved his family was one of the core things Siva remembered about Tom. But his favourite memory was a moment from when they were still touring as part of The Wanted. He and Tom were in the back of their tour van, driving home from Leeds and talking about time and relativity.
“He was showing me videos about it on his phone. We were talking about all these deep things whilst he was covered in Monster Munch dust,” Siva laughs. More seriously, he adds: “We used to butt heads a lot in the past.
“Tom was from Bolton and I’m from Dublin. He was quite extroverted and I was more introverted and passive. We were like bickering brothers. But in that van, he apologised for anything offensive he might have said. And he told me he loved me deeply.”
Siva told Tom that none of that needed to be said, it was all already known. “It was such a lovely moment,” Siva says. And it’s stuck with him years since.
While GenesisCare is trying to help people with glioblastoma, their Memory bank art installation is a valuable exhibition for the family and friends of brain tumour patients, like Siva. He explains how important memories are when you’re grieving.
“You lose people twice. First when they die and then when people forget them. I cope by talking about Tom and helping other people talk about him. I cope by singing his songs.”
Siva now lives in Los Angeles and flew back to the UK for the Memory Bank installation, which officially launched on 23 October. He had to quickly jet back to America again, as he and Wanted bandmate Max George have formed The Wanted 2.0 and are embarking on a tour of the US.
On their tour, they are likely to be singing songs like Glad You Came and Chasing The Sun, both of which were iconic sounds of the 2010s. The tour almost didn’t happen, as one half of the double act, Max, was in hospital just days before he was supposed to fly out to the States.
Having undergone heart surgery twice – both in late 2024 and early 2025 – Max found himself in hospital again in late September. Thankfully, though, he was able to join Siva in Las Vegas for their first US show.
Through their tour and The Wanted’s music, Tom lives on. He lives on in Kelsey and their children as the family tries to continue with their lives. He lives on in the work of GenesisCare UK, all the research that goes into brain cancer and every conversation someone has about it.
“Things can feel hopeless but we’ve done so much for other types of cancer,” Siva says. By talking about the work Tom did to raise awareness about brain cancer can be turned into tangible treatments that might one day mean glioblastoma is no longer one of the most challenging cancers to treat and incurable.
And by celebrating the memories of everyone currently dealing with it, whether that’s patients or their loved ones, Tom’s message lives on. “Tom’s message was hope. And hope helps so much. Hope can change everything.”
GenesisCare UK’s Memory Bank art installation launched on 23 October in the Westgate Centre in Oxford
Source: Mirror
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