Il Divo singer Carlos Marín has died at the age of 53, the vocal group announced on Sunday.
“It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our friend and partner, Carlos Marin, has passed away,” the baritone’s groupmates said in a statement shared on Il Divo’s website.
“He will be missed by his friends, family and fans,” vocalists Urs Bühler, David Miller and Sébastien Izambard said.
Paying tribute to the singer, Marin’s groupmates said “there wiIl never be another voice or spirit like Carlos.”
“For 17 years the four of us have been on this incredible journey of Il Divo together, and we will miss our dear friend,” they said, adding: “We hope and pray that his beautiful soul will rest in peace.”
The announcement comes after the male quartet had said in a Twitter statement on Dec. 16 that Marín had been admitted into a hospital during Il Divo’s U.K. tour.
The group had postponed the rest of their December U.K. tour dates by at least a year, citing “illness” as the reason.
It is not clear why the singer was admitted to hospital.
Il Divo was originally brought together by Simon Cowell in 2003, with the group sweeping to international fame and producing three U.K. number one albums, according to the British Official Charts Company.
In a statement on Twitter, Cowell said he was “devastated” by the news of Marín’s death.
“I am finding this so difficult to put into words how I feel right now. I am devastated Carlos Marin has passed away,” he said.
“He loved life. He loved performing and always had so much appreciation towards the fans who supported the group from day 1,” Cowell said. “Rest in peace Carlos. I will miss you.”
Marín was born in Germany and moved to Spain as a child.
He was previously married to Franco-Spanish singer and actor Geraldine Larrosa, known by the stage name Innocence, until 2009.
On Il Divo’s website, the baritone is quoted as once saying that singing was his “way of saying what I feel, my way of life.”
“Singing is what makes me feel alive,” he had said. “So thank you for letting me continue making a living from what I love.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
