Thousands donated to Tom Parker’s fundraiser, started by the widow to keep the memory alive

Thousands of pounds in donations have flowed in just 12 hours to a fundraiser set up by ‘The Wanted’ star’s widow Tom Parker.

elsey Parker created the GoFundMe page on Saturday so people can “keep Tom’s memory alive forever” by donating to charity instead of sending flowers and cards.

Ms Parker added a touching message of gratitude to those who have shared “beautiful messages of hope and condolences” since the singer’s death aged 33, and said the fundraiser aims to “represent the incredible love, support and generosity of everyone and turn our grief into something positive”.

The site surpassed its goal of £5,000 within the first 12 hours, with over £10,000 raised to date.

Ms Parker wrote on the donations page: “I’m Kelsey Parker, very proud wife of Tom Parker, probably best known for being one fifth of British boy band The Wanted but to those who knew him he was my husband, one dad son, brother and friend.

“Our hearts are truly broken, Tom has been the center of our world and we cannot imagine life without him, but one of the greatest sources of comfort over the past two years has been the outpouring of love and support we have all received.

“We cannot thank everyone enough for keeping Tom, myself and the children in your thoughts and prayers, lighting candles and sharing lovely messages of hope and condolences.

“We want to take everyone’s incredible love, support and generosity and turn our grief into something positive and keep Tom’s memory alive forever.

“We kindly ask that in lieu of gifts and flowers, donations be made to this GoFundMe account, with all proceeds ultimately going to amazing causes in Tom’s name to help others in need.

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“We simply could not have gotten through the last two years without the help and support we have received and if we could give it back to others that would be the best way to honor Tom and make our two children, Aurelia and Bodhi, proud.

“A huge thank you from the bottom of my heart.

“If love alone could have saved Tom, he would have lived forever.”

Parker was diagnosed with a brain tumor in October 2022 and died peacefully on March 30 of that year surrounded by family and friends.

His widow also shared a photo of her family on the donations page, including their two young children, as well as professional photos of Parker and his bandmates.

They had been married since 2018 and welcomed their son Bodhi in October last year.

Their daughter Aurelia Rose was born in 2019.

The fundraiser can be found below ttps://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-tom-parker