Il Divo Reveal Steven LaBrie Has Joined Band After Carlos Marín's Death: 'We Love Him Like a Brother' (Exclusive)

Marín died in December 2021 due to COVID-19 complications

Nearly two years after Il Divo member Carlos Marín died of COVID-19, the band is officially welcoming singer Steven LaBrie to the family.

"It just fit right in, in everything. He was always a breath of fresh air. It's wonderful. I count myself and ourselves incredibly lucky that we found him to come and join us," Urs Bühler, 52, tells PEOPLE exclusively.

When Marín fell ill, the band called up LaBrie, 35 — whom David Miller, 50, had kept in touch with after meeting 10 years ago — to temporarily fill in.

"Steven was still on board for everything that we were throwing at him... being a guest artist in the middle of what was just going to be a continuation of a tour into this really heavy thing that dropped. The bombshell had just gone off," Miller says. "He was there for us in that capacity to just be a shoulder and a voice to lean on."

Related: Il Divo Tour Will Go On as Retrospective Tribute to Late Vocalist Carlos Marín Following His Death

After they performed show after show together, the band says "it became quite obvious" that LaBrie was the right choice and the audience started "warming up to him."

"We really want to make this official now. It's kind of like when you are engaged for 10 years and then you finally want to get married. It's a very important step," Bühler says. "He's just a wonderful person. He's so easy to get on with. He's always got a smile on his face. He's always positive. He's so lovable. And I always think we're incredibly fortunate because obviously he's a fabulous singer. Steven really just fits that bill."

Sébastien Izambard, 50, adds, "We love him like a little brother. He doesn't have the gray hair, but it's going to come."

LaBrie is more than excited to join the band, as he knew their music long before he joined. He recalls listening to Il Divo's music for the first time at 15 years old and thinking it was "gorgeous."

"I'm really, really happy," says LaBrie. "Last year was a very heavy year honoring Carlos and celebrating his life with the music that he helped formulate with these other three wonderful humans here. And traveling the world and helping the healing process of all of the fans around the world was such an honor for me — and now, getting to move forward with them."

After Marín died in December 2021 at age 53, the band realized how precious their lives and work with Il Divo is.

"I think where it really has taught us a lesson — more than talking about how it affected us — is how life is so precious. How we don't know what tomorrow is like, how living in the moment is so important, how really enjoying the moment, the day that we are in is so precious because we don't know what can happen at any time," Izambard tells PEOPLE.

Related: Carlos Marín's Ex-Wife Geraldine Larrosa Shares Details from Final FaceTime Call: 'Love of My Life'

He adds, "We all had to grieve as much as the fans around the world, but also believe it has brought us together closer as a band, more unified, more at peace, more about wanting to carry the legacy of Il Divo for Carlos as well. And for us, I think in so many ways in the bad and the tragic and the tragedy, it has brought a lot of strength along the way."

Later this year, the band will celebrate 20 years together and they're working on new music to celebrate tradition and new beginnings with LaBrie onboard.

Il Divo will also be touring abroad beginning in October. For more information on tour dates click here.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.