Sarah Harding, singer of British pop group Girls Aloud, dies at 39 after battle with breast cancer

Singer Sarah Harding of the British pop group Girls Aloud has died after a battle with breast cancer, her mother said Sunday. She was 39.

The singer said last August that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and it had spread to other parts of her body. On Sunday, her mother Marie said on Instagram: "It's with deep heartbreak that today I'm sharing the news that my beautiful daughter Sarah has sadly passed away." "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," she wrote. She added that Harding was a "bright shining star" and would have wanted to be remembered for that, rather than for her fight against cancer.