Irish boy band Westlife announced on Wednesday the pop act is set to disband after a farewell tour in 2012.

In a statement on their website, the band thanked their fans "who have been with us on this amazing journey and are part of our family, too."

Westlife has so far sold 44 million albums worldwide and enjoyed the success of 26 Top 10 hits, 14 of which ranked no. 1 in the charts.

"The decision is entirely amicable and after spending all our adult life so far, we want to have a well-earned break and look at new ventures," the band said in a statement.

Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan will do one last farewell U.K. tour in May 2012.

Westlife's new single "Lighthouse" will be released in November, with a greatest hits collection available before Christmas.

Westlife is one of Ireland's most lucrative pop act, although it was unable to capture the U.S. fan base as successfully as it did elsewhere in the world. It did manage to make a singular hit with "Swear It Again," which peaked at no. 20 over ten years ago on the Billboard Hot 100.

Click on 'Start' to take a journey back with Westlife in photos.

Billboard