Carlos Marín, one of four singers in the classical crossover vocal group Il Divo, has died. The group announced Marín’s death Sunday in a statement on Twitter. “It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our friend and partner, Carlos Marín, has passed away,” the surviving members wrote. “He will be missed by his friends, family and fans. There wiIl 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.” He was 53.

Marín had been performing with Il Divo in the UK this month before ending up in the ICU in a Manchester hospital on Dec. 8 with an unspecified illness. According to a Spanish television report cited by the New York Times, he was intubated and placed in a medically induced coma. He previously survived a bout with COVID-19 in 2020.

Marín was born in West Germany in 1968 and began his performing and recording career as a child, later moving to Madrid with his family and, briefly, to the Netherlands. In the 1990s he acted in a number of musicals including Les Misérables, Beauty And The Beast, and Grease. In 2003 in London he formed Il Divo with Urs Bühler of Switzerland, Sébastien Izambard of France, and David Miller of the US. Marín was the sole baritone in the group, which helped to popularize operatic pop music sometimes known as “popera.” They’ve released 10 studio albums and sold well over 30 million copies.