At the age of 39: Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding died of breast cancer

The British singer Sarah Harding has died as a result of her breast cancer.

This was announced on Sunday via the official Instagram account of the 39-year-old, who became known with her former band Girls Aloud ("Sound of the Underground").

“She fell asleep peacefully this morning,” said the message, which was headed “A message from Sarah's mother”.

"She struggled so hard, from diagnosis to her last day."

Harding, who was also an actress, had made public in August 2020 that she had been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.

"I fight as hard as I can," she wrote on Instagram about a picture of herself from the hospital.

After her death, fans on the Internet as well as the greats of the British music and television scene reacted in dismay.

Harding's former Girls Aloud comrades-in-arms Nicola Roberts and Nadine Coyle were "devastated".

The band emerged as the winning quintet from the British talent show "Popstars The Rivals" from 2002 and was particularly successful in Great Britain, but also had many fans outside of the UK.