Carlos Marín, a member of Il Divo, dies at 53

Carlos Marín, a Spanish singer and a member of Il Divo, the hit multinational quartet, died in Manchester, England, on Sunday, according to the musical group and local news media reports. He was 53.

“It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our friend and partner, Carlos Marín, has passed away,” Il Divo wrote in a post on Twitter on Sunday.

“He will be missed by his friends, family and fans. There will never be another voice or spirit like Carlos,” Il Divo added. “We will miss our dear friend.”

The musical group did not specify a cause of death. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Manchester on Dec. 8, where he was intubated and put in an induced coma, according to a report on Spanish television.

Marín had already had COVID-19 last year. After suffering the disease, he expressed in a video his relief, as well as hope that this would help protect him from another infection.

“I’m lucky enough to be now immune, I’m taking great care of myself, I wear my mask, they will force us to get vaccinated and I hope things relax and they allow us to work,” he said in the video, posted last December.

Marín was born in Rüsselsheim, a German city about 30 miles southwest of Frankfurt, on Oct. 13, 1968. At 8 years old, he released his first album. Later, he moved with his family to Madrid, where he went on to study piano and singing at the city’s Royal Conservatory.

In 2003, Marín, known for his broad vocal register, joined Il Divo together with Urs Bühler, from Switzerland, David Miller from the United States and Sébastien Izambard from France. The quartet, known for their soupy, romantic covers, helped make popular the genre of pop opera, known as “popera,” and went on to sell millions of albums.

“Singing is my way of saying what I feel, my way of life,” Marín is quoted as saying on the musical group’s website.

Sometimes, he added, the music could make him feel melancholy and at other times; joyful.

“Singing is what makes me feel alive,” Marín added. “So thank you.”