Carlos Marin, a member of the classical crossover group Il Divo, has died aged 53.
"It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our friend and partner, Carlos Marin, has passed away. He will be missed by his friends, family and fans. There wiIl never be another voice or spirit like Carlos," the four-piece group tweeted on Sunday.
"For 17 years the four of us have been on this incredible journey of Il Divo together, and we will miss our dear friend. We hope and pray that his beautiful soul will rest in peace."
Unconfirmed reports have suggested the singer fell ill after contracting Covid-19 on December 7 and was later placed in a medically induced coma, however the official cause of death has not been revealed.
Reports in Spanish media have said Marin was intubated after being admitted to an intensive care unit in Manchester.
Marin had been on stage performing earlier this month, but on December 10, the group postponed the rest of their December UK tour dates by a year “due to illness”.
"Unfortunately, due to illness, the remaining dates for Il Divo’s December 2021 UK tour have been postponed until December 2022. Il Divo are deeply sorry to their fans, but look forward to returning to the road in the new year and seeing you all in the run-up to next Christmas," they posted on Twitter.
On Thursday, they added an update: "Our dear friend and partner, Carlos, is in the hospital. We are hoping and praying for a speedy recovery."
Formed in 2003 in the UK by Simon Cowell, Il Divo comprises a melting pot of four singers. Marin, who was from Spain, was cast along Urs Buhler (Switzerland), David Miller (US) and Sebastien Izambard (France).
The male quartet's massive global success took them around the world, including several shows in the UAE. A planned show at Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena in August was cancelled owing to travel limitations. The Dubai show was part of a global tour celebrating the group's release of their 10th studio album, For Once in My Life: A Celebration of Motown.
Italian choreographer and dancer Bruno Tonioli, who is a judge on the UK's Strictly Come Dancing show, tweeted that he was "devastated" by news of Marin's death.
"We had the best time putting together the first @ildivoofficial's performance 17 years ago. Great voice, great man, a true passionate spirit with [a] wicked sense of humour. We will miss you," he said.
