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Westlife to split after 14 years

October 20, 2011 | 12:00am

Irish boy band Westlife had announced that they are splitting up following their final tour.

“After 14 years, 26 top ten hits including 14 number one singles, 11 top 5 albums, 7 of which hit the top spot and have collectively sold over 44 million copies around the world, 10 sell out tours and countless memories that we will forever cherish, we today announce our plan to go our separate ways after a greatest hits collection this Christmas and a farewell tour next year,” an official statement from the band reads.

Westlife has just completed their Gravity tour this October and Manila was one of their concert destinations. A new tour called the Greatest Hits Tour was announced on October 18, 2011, and will run through May 2012.

“The decision is entirely amicable and after spending all of our adult life together so far, we want to have a well-earned break and look at new ventures. We see the greatest hits collection and the farewell tour as the perfect way to celebrate our incredible career along with our fans. We are really looking forward to getting out on the tour and seeing our fans one last time,” the official statement further reads.

According to band members Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, and Mark Feehily, “Westlife has become so much more to us than just a band. Westlife are a family.” They went on to thank the fans who had supported them in their amazing journey.

“We never imagined when we started out in 1998 that 14 years later we would still be recording, touring and having hits together. It has been a dream come true for all of us,” the official Westlife statement concludes.