Girls Aloud Singer Sarah Harding Dead At 39
By Regina Park
September 5, 2021
Singer and TV personality Sarah Harding died Sunday (September 5) at the age of 39. The Girls Aloud vocalist announced in August 2020 that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Her mother, Marie, shared the news of Harding’s death on Instagram, describing her daughter as a “bright, shining star.”
“Many of you will know of Sarah’s battle with cancer and that she fought so strongly from her diagnosis until her last day. She slipped away peacefully this morning,” Harding’s mother wrote.
“I’d like to thank everyone for their kind support over the past year. It meant the world to Sarah and it gave her great strength and comfort to know she was loved.”
“I know she won’t want to be remembered for her fight against this terrible disease –– she was a bright shining star and I hope that’s how she can be remembered instead.”
Harding was born in 1981 in Berkshire, England and launched a music career after auditioning for ITV’s Popstars: The Revivals in 2002. The program formed two groups, a boy band, One True Voice, and a girl band, Girls Aloud. Harding along with Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts, Cheryl Tweedy and Kimberley Walsh went on to release four UK chart-topping hits and 21 Top 10 hits during their ten year run together.
The group’s debut single “Sound of the Underground” showed off their sonic vibe which Harding described as “five northern girls with attitude, very outspoken.”
In 2009, Girls Aloud won the Brit Award for Best Single for their No. 1 track, “The Promise.”
Harding also had a career in TV, appearing in four episodes of Coronation Street and a stage adaptation of the film Ghost. She made several reality TV appearances, competing in Celebrity Master Chef and winning Celebrity Big Brother in 2017.
Earlier this year, Harding published a memoir, Hear Me Out, she penned in the midst of her diagnosis. At the time she announced her diagnosis, Harding said she was “inundated with lovely messages from my fans.”
“I’m grateful beyond words for that,” she said.