Singer Kevin Richardson is to leave boyband the Backstreet Boys to pursue other interests.

"After 13 years of what can only be described as a dream come true, I have decided that it is time to leave the Backstreet Boys. It was a very tough decision for me but one that was necessary in order to move on with the next chapter of my life", Kevin Richardson said in a statement published on the group's official web site.

The rest of the band Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and AJ McLean also issued a statement saying: " We have no intention of replacing Kevin, and the door will always be open for him to return to the Backstreet Boys. We wish him the all the best in his future endeavours".

The Backstreet Boys vowed to begin work on their next album, which is due later this year.

The group formed in the late 1990s and have sold more than 35 million albums. They spent four years apart from 2001. They reunited in 2005 to release the album Never Gone.

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