'We are still best of friends and always will be - but this is the end': JLS shock fans by announcing split after five years
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- Four-piece came second to Alexandra Burke on The X Factor in 2009
- Said they wanted to 'finish on a high' after five years of chart success
- Will be bowing out after a farewell arena tour and greatest hits album
- Ex-TOWIE star Mark Wright tweeted that he cried after hearing news
British boy band JLS have announced they are splitting after five years together.
The four-piece, who found fame on The X Factor, will part ways later this year following a farewell tour and greatest hits album, both entitled Goodbye.
In a statement, the band said: 'It has been the most incredible journey over the last 6 years and we have achieved more things than we could have ever dreamed possible.
'Thanks to all of you guys, your support, your dedication and your love, you have changed our lives forever and we wouldn't be where we are today without you.'
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Farewell: JLS (L-R) Marvin Humes, Aston Merrygold, Ortise Williams and JB Gill are splitting after five years together
Referring to their plans for bowing out, the statement continued: 'We are currently in the studio working on what will be our last album - Goodbye; The Greatest Hits.
JLS - A CHART HISTORY IN SINGLES
| SINGLE | RELEASE DATE | PEAK POSITION |
|---|---|---|
| BEAT AGAIN | 25/07/2009 | 1 |
| EVERYBODY IN LOVE | 14/11/2009 | 1 |
| ONE SHOT | 23/01/2010 | 6 |
| THE CLUB IS ALIVE | 17/07/2010 | 1 |
| LOVE YOU MORE | 27/11/2010 | 1 |
| EYES WIDE SHUT | 22/01/2011 | 8 |
| SHE MAKES ME WANNA | 06/08/2011 | 1 |
| TAKE A CHANCE ON ME | 19/11/2011 | 2 |
| DO YOU FEEL WHAT I FEEL | 10/12/2011 | 16 |
| PROUD | 31/03/2012 | 6 |
| HOTTEST GIRL IN THE WORLD | 03/11/2012 | 6 |
| HOLD ME DOWN/GIVE ME LIFE | 14/12/2012 | 112 |
'We will be bringing you a new single later in the year to coincide with the album and the tour. Goodbye; The Greatest Hits Tour will be the last time that we will perform together as a 4 and we want to make sure that this tour is the best ever and that we end on a high!'
Celebrity fans took to Twitter to pay tribute to the band, whose last song reached 112 in the singles chart.
One Direction's Louis Tomlinson was among those who aired their sadness this morning.
In a message on Twitter, he said: 'Sad to hear about JLS . Wish them all the best of luck in what they go on to do.'
TV presenter Mark Wright suggested he was on the verge of tears after hearing about the group's demise: 'Not gonna lie, my eyes watered a little bit reading that JLS are splitting. Sad article. Congrats to all your success boys.'
Comedian Jack Whitehall joked: 'Tonight I will wear my JLS condom at half mast.'
Comic Dara O'Briain also made a crack about their contraceptive line: 'JLS at their peak had a range of branded condoms. JLS have now split. Using these sentences, create a joke.'
The boys added in an interview with The Sun that didn't want to suffer a decline like many other pop acts.
Aston Merrygold, 25, told the paper: 'It's just that time. We are still best of friends and always will be - but this is the end.'
Marvin Humes, 28, added: 'We wanted to finish on a high. We’re finishing with an arena tour - our third arena tour - and that is a massive achievement.
'The last five or so years have been nothing short of incredible. It has been an incredible journey.'
The group have certainly had the last laugh since coming second to Alexandra Burke on The X Factor in 2009.
Humble beginnings: JLS - which stands for Jack The Lad Swing - auditioning on The X Factor in 2008
Success: The four-piece with their two Brit Awards in 2010
Following their time on the show, Simon Cowell turned down the chance to sign them, so they went on to sell over 10million records following their deal with Epic Records.
In 2009, both their debut single Beat Again and eponymously titled album went to No.1 in the charts.
Over their nearly four and a half years in the charts, they enjoyed ten Top 10 hits, including five No.1 singles.
They also won numerous awards, including two Brit Awards for British Breakthough and British Single in 2010.
Memories: All four of the band took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to thank their fans for the support
But while their hit tracks including Everybody In Love and The Club Is Alive hit the top spot, JLS' most recent release, Hold Me Down/Give Me Life, failed to even make the top 100 singles, charting at number 112 when it was released last December.
In addition to their music careers, JLS put their name to a range of merchandise, including dolls, perfume and even condoms.
Despite the group's statement, odds have already been released for a JLS reunion within the next five years.
A sad day: Cheryl Cole leads the celebrities who took to Twitter to lament the end of one of the UK's most treasured bands
According to Ladrokes, the group are odds on at 4/5 to make a return before the end of 2018.
Jessica Bridge of Ladbrokes said: 'Everybody who's in love with JLS need not worry as the odds suggest a reunion is on the cards.'
In the meantime, the boys now feel it is the right time to bow out of the music industry - as they move on with their personal lives.
Marvin is set to become a father for the first time with wife Rochelle Humes and also recently became a radio presenter for Capital FM, while Aston joined the judging panel of Sky 1 dancing competition Got to Dance earlier this year.
Marvin explained: 'We are the first X Factor act to finish a five-year recording contract. If we wanted to carry on and sign to another label, it was going to be another three, four or five albums.
Mini mes: At the height of their fame, JLS were immortalised in doll form
They'll put their name to anything! The boys also released their own range of condoms with Durex
'So we all thought about it for a few months and it sort of made sense to say we were moving on with our lives.'
Aston added: 'We haven’t fallen out. We leave with some amazing successes under our belt and we can say goodbye in style.'
Fellow band members Oritse and J.B., 26, are also planning for life after JLS with Oritse planning to become a music manager and J.B. recently purchasing a deer farm in Scotland.
Next phase of life: Marvin is preparing to become a father with wife Rochelle
Red carpet appearance: J.B. and his girlfriend Chloe attended the London premiere of Iron Man 3 last week. He has recently purchased a deer farm in Scotland
Despite going their separate ways, the group will continue to work together on their JLS Foundation charity following their split, they confirmed.
The statement continued: 'We will continue to work on the JLS Foundation after our split, as we want to raise as much money and awareness as possible for great causes and our partner Cancer Research UK.
'We also want to continue the legacy that we started 3 years ago with the Foundation and we hope that you always continue to support that.'
JLS - THE FULL SPLIT STATEMENT
To each and every JLSter, our beloved fans around the world. We wanted to make sure that you heard it from the four of us, that we have decided to bring our time as a band to an end. It has been the most incredible journey over the last 6 years and we have achieved more things than we could have ever dreamed possible.
Thanks to all of you guys, your support, your dedication and your love, you have changed our lives forever and we wouldn't be where we are today without you.
We are currently in the studio working on what will be our last album- Goodbye; The Greatest Hits. We will be bringing you a new single later in the year to coincide with the album and the tour. Goodbye; The Greatest Hits Tour will be the last time that we will perform together as a 4 and we want to make sure that this tour is the best ever and that we end on a high! We will always remain brothers and friends and we will always be your boys.
We will continue to work on the JLS Foundation after our split, as we want to raise as much money and awareness as possible for great causes and our partner Cancer Research UK. We also want to continue the legacy that we started 3 years ago with the Foundation and we hope that you always continue to support that.
As always we will continue to support each other and we hope you will enjoy watching us grow individually in our new chapters going forward.We want to look at this final year as a celebration of all that we have achieved together. We hope you can look back and remember all the great moments that you have been responsible for.
All that's left to say is the biggest THANK YOU for following us from day 1 and every day since then.
You are truly the best fans in the world and we will always love you.
OJAM x
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2313811/JLS-splitting-2013-tour-X-Factor-boy-band-shock-fans-break-news-5-years.html#ixzz2RPLLvhl2
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