Il Divo grieves Carlos Marín as they prepare first tour since his death: 'He never will be there again'

It is barely two months since the death of Carlos Marín, and his Il Divo mates are hurting.

Their grief is palpable as two of the three remaining members – David Miller and Urs Bühler – sit for a video chat with USA TODAY from their respective locations in upstate New York and Andorra in Europe.

The guys want to talk about their Greatest Hits Tour, which kicked off in Tampa, Florida, Friday and the future of Il Divo.

But, because even seasoned pros can’t be expected to conceal their sorrow, they also want to talk about their friend.

Marín died Dec. 19 in a hospital in Manchester, England, less than two weeks after being admitted with COVID-19. He was 53.

The classical crossover group, which also includes Sébastien Izambard, was in the midst of a Christmas tour when the Spanish baritone complained to Miller in a car ride to their hotel that he wasn’t feeling well, thinking his breathing difficulty stemmed from a massage the day before.

By the next morning, he was admitted to the hospital, where he tested positive for the coronavirus and was placed on oxygen.

But still, Miller says, Marín remained upbeat.

“He was optimistic beyond all reasonability,” Miller says with a wan smile as he recalls their texts. “We were telling him, 'If you’re in the hospital we have to cancel shows.' And he said: ‘No, I’ll be fine. I feel good.’ That was the last communication we had with him.”

Marín’s prognosis rapidly declined, and he was put on a ventilator. Il Divo canceled the remainder of their U.K. tour and the group returned to their respective homes around the world.

A couple of days later, they received a call that the singer had died.

There are a few moments of silence and downward glances as Miller revisits the painful events.

Then Bühler shares that he just returned from Madrid, Marín’s hometown, and as he walked through the city and sat in public spaces, he thought he might see his friend come around the corner.

“It comes to your mind because he used to frequent those places, but no, he won’t be there and he never will be there again,” Bühler says quietly as Miller puts a hand over tearful eyes.

It is poignant and painful, yet the group knows they must carry on – for the memory of Marín and to help fans, as well as themselves, heal from the profound loss.

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This leads to the worldwide tour, retooled in Marín’s honor, with vocalist Steven LaBrie, a Mexican American baritone, filling in as a guest for nearly a year of dates.

Il Divo has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and is nearing its 20th anniversary. It’s not the ideal time to wrestle with an uncertain future, but Bühler is candid about the tenuousness.

“This could be an absolutely wonderful experience or it could be the last tour Il Divo ever does,” he says. “We really don’t know at this point. But we are very eager to stand on stage and see each other again.”

Miller and Bühler shared some additional thoughts on Marín, what to expect from their live shows and the addition of LaBrie onstage.

Question: What went into the decision to continue with the tour?

David Miller: Fans have told us how our music has helped them through rough times, deaths, battles with illnesses. So why shouldn’t we endeavor to do the same for ourselves in this situation? It has been very hard. The shock is going to continue on into starting the tour. When we’re standing up there and (Carlos) is not with us, it will hit us the hardest. There’s no way to prepare for that.

Urs Bühler: I’m 100% convinced Carlos would have wanted us to go on, and I do understand some fans are upset about it. But a lot of them want this to go on because music is something that will lift us up and be something positive. But until we are together on that stage again and share that incomprehensible feeling of our loss with our audience, we won’t know the depths it will affect us.

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Q: How do you plan to showcase Carlos’ legacy in the show?

Bühler: (The tour) was supposed to be in celebration of the last album (“For Once in My Life: A Celebration of Motown”). We were going to present most of that album, adapt the wardrobe to that repertoire with certain colors of suits and ankle boots and since there’s a lot of rhythm in these songs, maybe some dance steps. But that idea has shifted completely. We really want to make this a celebration of Il Divo with Carlos and that extraordinary voice and performer he was. So the styling of the show will be as classic Il Divo as we can make it; black tie, nice, elegant suits. We’re not going to be dancing. That wouldn’t be appropriate. We’re going to sing the big Il Divo classics, Carlos Marín’s Il Divo. We have a couple of things prepared that I hope we can make work in order to have as much of Carlos' essence and presence onstage.

Q: How does Steven fit into the group?

Miller: When I started working on a solo opera album – going on 10 years now, but I hope to release it this year – I asked him to feature on a duet with me on the album. His image just popped into my head a few days after getting the news about Carlos. We sat on it for a while and there was a part of me that did not want to go on because how could we ever without Carlos? But the other part is, Il Divo is bigger than the four of us. It exists because of the collaboration of four voices in service to music and if there is a fourth voice, why not try? (Steven is) about 17 years younger than us. He had the interest and inclination and sent us an a capella recording and it was powerful. He’s got that "je ne sais quoi." At every turn, it felt like we were getting a yes from the universe.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Il Divo grieves Carlos Marin before first tour since his COVID death