The Wanted star Siva Kaneswaren has opened up about the impact of bandmate Tom Parker’s death and how it has inspired him to face his own fears and make the most of his life
Siva Kaneswaren, bandmate of the late Tom Parker from The Wanted, has spoken out about how Tom’s tragic death at just 33 years old has impacted him.
Siva is currently supporting Memory Bank, a new art installation that honours the experiences of brain cancer patients and their loved ones, and it’s prompted him to reflect on his own journey.
In an exclusive chat with the Express, he shared how Tom’s premature passing inspired him to confront his own fears.
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“Tom was squeezing life out every moment when he was diagnosed, and I was reminded after his passing how death teaches you how to live. Going forward, immediately after that, I signed up to do all the things I’m terrified of because it was not as scary as what he had gone through. Even though I was terrified, I did Celebrity SAS. I skated on knives on Dancing on Ice and got to the semi-final. I did a whole tribute to him on that show,” he reminisced.
“I did so many things that I was scared of. I did a theatre show because I wanted to learn Spanish, and suddenly a theatre show came in that you sing in Spanish. I did all that, all literally, straight after his passing. I also connected with my family again,” he revealed, adding that he recently made a surprise trip back to his native Ireland from his home in LA for his mum’s birthday.
Reflecting on his final days with Tom, Siva Kaneswaran admitted there were a lot of tears. “We got so close towards the end. We cleared the air. We said things we never thought we’d say to each other. We cried a lot together. Everything just seemed so small now, and all the problems we had – we always butted heads, we always had tempers – the memories we made together I’ll cherish,” he shared, reports the Express.
After Tom’s passing, Siva and the rest of The Wanted found themselves having to mourn in the public eye – a situation he discussed with one of the few people who could truly understand what it felt like.
“I was chatting to Danny from The Script recently when I bumped into him in Malibu after a hike and he’s also lost his bandmate brother (The Script guitarist Mark Sheehan passed away in April 2023 at the age of 43) and I hadn’t spoken to anyone else who had the exact same experience as me in the public eye, and we were both just saying how strange it is to grieve in public.
“But sometimes the therapy itself is talking about it in public, just getting it out and just letting people know,” he expressed. “It’s not easy. I’m on a US tour with The Wanted 2.0, and every time I sing Gold Forever, the beginning of that song is Tom’s piece; I have to talk about him. I have to get it out, because if I don’t get it out, I just get so upset,” he confessed.
He confessed that these emotions have driven him to support the Memory Bank campaign.
“One of the top fears of people who get glioblastoma is losing their memory. It happens very quickly. This installation brings awareness to positive memories.
“It connected with me because Tom Parker and his family literally called themselves the positive Parkers. We didn’t do negativity or stress. We literally laughed all the way, and it really helped more than anything.
“When Tom got diagnosed, he was given six months to a year of life expectancy. He lasted for 18 months with different treatments. He did so much in 18 months. I got to witness a spiritual warrior.”
The Memory Bank installation is on display at Westgate Shopping Centre in Oxford before being exhibited at the GenesisCare Centre in Oxford later in the autumn. It is also available via the GenesisCare website. For more information, visit the website.
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