Carlos Marin: did Il Divo singer die of Covid-19 - and was he vaccinated again coronavirus?

Il Divo singer Carlos Marin has died aged 53, the group has announced. The German-born Spanish baritone’s bandmates – American tenor David Miller, French singer Sebastien Izambard and Swiss tenor Urs Buhler – paid tribute to him on Sunday. In a statement on Twitter, they said: “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 will 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. We hope and pray that his beautiful soul will rest in peace. With Love — David, Sebastien and Urs.” Here is everything you need to know. Who was Carlos Marin? Born in Germany but raised in Madrid, Carlos Marín started his career in music early in life, recording his first album when he was eight years old. During his teens, Marin won several awards in Spanish television contests, and also started to sing on live television shows accompanied by an orchestra. He earned an important reputation as a musical performer, and in the 90s, began performing in musicals, such as Les Misérables, Beauty and the Beast (where he suffered an accident that left him with a broken ankle) and Grease. In 2003, he became a member of the international musical quartet Il Divo along with Urs Bühler, Sébastien Izambard and David Miller. The classical crossover group, composed of a global melting pot of singing stars, was formed by Simon Cowell in 2003 under his SyCo record label, though they later parted ways with the music mogul. In his personal life, Marin was married to French-born singer Geraldine Larrosa – better known by her stage name Innocence – until 2009. Who has paid tribute? Simon Cowell led a flood of social media tributes to Marin, writing on Twitter he was “devastated” by the news. “I am finding this so difficult to put into words how I feel right now,” Cowell said. “I am devastated Carlos Marin has passed away. He loved life. He loved performing and always had so much appreciation towards the fans who supported the group from day 1. Rest in peace Carlos. I will miss you.” Television presenter Lorraine Kelly tweeted: “This is so sad. I had the joy of interviewing Carlos and Il Divo many times over the years. He was such a class act. Thoughts with everyone who loved him”. Bruno Tonioli, a judge on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, wrote: “Devastated @ildivoofficial @carlosmarin_ passed away. “We had the best time putting together the first @ildivoofficial performance 17 yeas ago. Great voice, great man, a true passionate Spirit with a wicked sense of humour we will miss you so sad.” Australian singer-songwriter and former front man of pop duo Savage Garden, Darren Hayes, said on Twitter: “To the family, friends and fans of Carlos Marin I send my deepest condolences … I’m so sorry for your loss.” What did he die of? There are reports that Marin died after complications with Covid-19, though this does not appear to have been officially verified at the time of writing. As for whether he was vaccinated against coronavirus, again, reports suggest that he was, though no official word has been given. On 16 December, the group had posted that Marin was “in the hospital” and that they were “hoping and praying for a speedy recovery”. The cause of death was not made clear, though reports in Spanish media suggested Marin was intubated after being admitted to an intensive care unit in Manchester. Il Divo had postponed the rest of their December UK tour dates by a year “due to illness”. Marin had been on stage performing earlier this month. A version of this article originally appeared on our sister title, NationalWorld