One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson is grieving the loss of his mother Johannah Deakin Poulston, who died after a battle with leukaemia on Wednesday.
The midwife was aged just 43 when she passed away, leaving behind her husband Dan and her seven children, Louis, 24, Lottie, 18, Felicite, 16, twins Daisy and Phoebe, both 12, and twins Ernest and Doris, both aged two, who she gave birth to prematurely in 2014.
Louis went ahead with his debut solo performance at the UK’s X Factor final on Saturday night in tribute to his late mother, who had wished for the performance to go ahead.
The 24-year-old’s performance of ‘Just Hold On’ was met with cheering from the crowd and a standing ovation from the judges, who commended him for his courage in performing.
In a statement, the family shared that with “immeasurable sadness” they said their final farewells to Joannah in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
“Earlier this year Johannah was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of leukaemia that required immediate and continuous treatment,” the statement read.
“We respectfully request that the family are given time and space to grieve in private.”