The Tragic Death Of Girls Aloud Star Sarah Harding

Sarah Harding, who first rose to fame as one-fifth of British girl group Girls Aloud, quickly became a household name in the 2000s after topping the charts with her band members. Since then, she has embarked on a solo career, participated in reality shows, and ventured into acting.

In August 2020, after keeping a fairly low profile, Harding announced the sad news that she had breast cancer via Instagram. The "Sound of the Underground" hitmaker shared a selfie of herself in the hospital and explained to fans "that the cancer has advanced to other parts of my body" in her caption. "I'm currently undergoing weekly chemotherapy sessions and I am fighting as hard as I possibly can," she continued, adding, "I am doing my very best to keep positive and will keep you updated here with how I'm getting on. In the meantime I hope you'll all understand and respect my request for privacy during this difficult time."

In February, Harding released her memoir, "Hear Me Out," and informed readers she was told last December that the following Christmas will likely be her last and admitted she did not know how many months she had left to live, per BBC. While in the hospital, the BRIT award winner also said she had sepsis while being treated for cancer. Harding's last Instagram upload was posted in March. However, today's update was one her followers have been dreading for several months. 

On September 5, Sarah Harding's mom, Marie Hardman, took to Harding's Instagram account to announce the tragic news that her daughter had died at age 39. She attached a stunning black-and-white image of Harding smiling and informed Harding's followers about her final moments. "It's with deep heartbreak that today I'm sharing the news that my beautiful daughter Sarah has sadly passed away," Hardman said, adding, "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. 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," she continued. 

As of this writing, none of Harding's band mates from Girls Aloud — Cheryl Cole, Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle, and Kimberly Walsh — have reacted to the sad news publicly. Our thoughts are with Sarah Harding's fans and loved ones. Thank you for giving so much to the entertainment world.