Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding dead at 39

Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Sarah Harding, a member of the iconic British pop music group Girls Aloud, has died of cancer at the age of 39.

Her mother, Marie, announced Harding's death on the star's Instagram page Sunday.

"It's with deep heartbreak that today I'm sharing the news that my beautiful daughter Sarah has sadly passed away," she wrote.

"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."

The post got nearly 250,000 "likes" in the first hour it was online.

The Brit Award-winning, five-member group, Girls Aloud, was formed in 2002 on the British competition show, Popstars: The Rivals.

The singers are best known for their hit songs, "Sound of the Underground," "Love Machine," "Jump," "Call The Shots" and "The Promise."

Harding won the British version of the reality competition show, Celebrity Big Brother, in 2017. She also acted in Run for Your Wife and St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold.

The BBC said she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 and the disease spread to other parts of her body.

The other members of Girls Aloud are Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh and Cheryl Cole