The Wanted's Nathan Sykes has thanked fans for "making [him] smile" after he shared the sad news about the death of his beloved dog.

The boyband star took to social networking site Twitter yesterday to confirm that his pet pooch Harry had sadly passed away.

Posting a picture of himself with the white dog, Sykes wrote: "R.I.P Harry dog. Thanks for all of the memories, smiles and love. We're gonna miss you .. (sic)."

A couple of hours later the singer posted a message of gratitude to his loyal fans following the sad announcement: "Thanks for all of your lovely tweets, making me smile."

A host of messages poured in for the star, with one Twitter user writing: "aww no Nathan:( I'm sorry x x", while another added: "I"m so sorry. You can just tell Harry was the best dog. Such a face... (sic)."

Sykes - along with his The Wanted bandmates Tom Parker, Siva Kaneswaran, Max George and Jay McGuiness - have been busy recording in the studio this week.