Louis Tomlinson’s mom, Johannah Deakin, died on Wednesday, December 7, at age 43 following a battle with leukemia.
“It is with immeasurable sadness that Johannah Deakin’s family said goodbye to Johannah in the early hours of Wednesday 7th December 2016,” Johannah’s husband, Dan Deakin, said in a statement to Us Weekly on Friday.
Dan continued, “Earlier this year, Johannah was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of leukemia that required immediate and continuous treatment. We respectfully request that the family are given time and space to grieve in private.”
He also praised his wife’s charity work and giving spirit. “Incredibly selfless, she would always look to put other people before herself,” the statement read. “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.”
Dan called Johannah an “amazing mother” of her seven children — Louis, 24, Lottie, 18, Felicite, 16, twins Daisy and Phoebe, 12, and twins Ernest and Doris, 2 — and “an incredibly proud grandmother” to Freddie, Tomlinson’s 10-month-old son with his friend Briana Jungwirth.
The One Direction singer’s most recent Instagram post from November 18 was a tribute to his mom. “My mother looking gorgeous before the Brits earlier this year. I love you and miss you so much!” he captioned a pic of the mother-son duo.
Tomlinson is reportedly expected to perform a tribute to his late mother on the X Factor on Saturday night.