1D Louis sings the saddest song of all
BRAVE Louis Tomlinson last night battled through the grief of losing his mother to leukaemia by launching his solo career on the stage where he first found fame.
The former One Direction star performed his single, Just Hold On, on The X Factor in tribute to Johannah Deakin, who died on Wednesday aged 43.
Its poignant lyrics – ‘It’s not over till the sun has set, It’s not over till your dying breath’ – appear to have been inspired by his mother’s courageous seven-month battle against the disease.
The song, written and recorded before Mrs Deakin’s death, pleads movingly: ‘Oh, darling just hold on.’
After the song Louis received a standing ovation from the judges and struggled to contain his emotions. Simon Cowell walked on to the stage to hug him.
The pair embraced for five seconds and when Louis pulled away he appeared to wiping a tear from his eye.
Cowell then paid tribute to the singer. He told him: ‘Your mum was so proud of you, Louis, and she was so looking forward to coming to see you. She’s looking down on you now and you’ve done her so proud.’
Louis, 24, insisted the show must go on despite the tragedy because it was what his mother would have wanted. His family and friends were in the audience last night.
The singer, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, had long been scheduled to perform his single on the show. Following the death of his mother – a midwife who had six other children – he dedicated the performance to the woman whom he has described as his ‘best friend’.
Mrs Deakin, who became a grandmother after the birth of Louis’s baby son, Freddie, had been suffering from a particularly aggressive strain of the disease.
Friends said her ‘dying wish’ was for her son to relaunch his music career. In a statement last week, her family spoke of their ‘immeasurable sadness’. They explained that Mrs Deakin had been diagnosed with a form of leukaemia which required ‘immediate and continuous treatment’. Mrs Deakin had been cared for at University College London hospital since May, before being moved to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield for her final few weeks.
Five weeks ago, she had shared a photo of the One Direction singer on what was to be her last post on social media site Instagram with the caption: ‘My perfect boy.’ Louis, who moved to Los Angeles to be closer to his son, also shared a photo of his mother two weeks ago with the caption: ‘I love you and miss you so much!’
Her husband Dan Deakin paid tribute to his ‘incredibly selfless’ wife and ‘truly amazing mother’. He said: ‘She would always look to put other people before herself. She desired nothing more than for everyone around her to be happy and loving. She worked tirelessly on numerous charity campaigns, creating memories for many individuals and their families.
‘It wasn’t uncommon for Johannah to hear through the media of an individual in need of assistance, and she would immediately make it her objective to get that person what they often desperately needed.’ Sh e was 18 when she had Louis with her first husband Troy Austin in 1991. Her second marriage was to Mark Tomlinson, with whom she had four children.
Two years ago, she married Mr Deakin and gave birth to twins.
‘She’s looking down on you – she’d be so proud’