Louis Tomlinson broke down in tears over an emotional X Factor song that reminded him of his beloved late mother Johannah.
The One Direction star, whose mum died of leukemia in 2016 aged 43, couldn’t hold back the emotion on Saturday’s episode when contestant J-Sol sung a track in memory of his late mother Victoria.
The singer, 26, wiped away tears as he listened to the heartbreaking track before going onstage to hug J-Sol and tell him: ‘That was moving for me man, I lost my mum as well. I think you did an amazing job.’
Devastating: Louis Tomlinson broke down in tears over an emotional X Factor song that reminded him of his late mother Johannah
Before singing, J-Sol discussed the tragedy of losing his own mum, explaining: ‘I suddenly lost my mum in 2015.
‘Seeing my mum pass in my bed… you just have to appreciate the ones you have because you never know.’
He explained that singing the song in that audition was one of her wishes and said that after his performance he would feel like a part of her was gone.
‘Once I’ve done this there’ll be nothing left of hers to complete,’ the East London singer said.
Gutted: The 26-year-old’s mum died of leukemia in December 2016 aged 43 (pictured in 2015)
Horrible: The One Direction star couldn’t hold back the emotion on Saturday’s episode when contestant J-Sol sung a track in memory of his late mother Victoria
Louis became visibly emotional during J-Sol’s performance and was seen wiping away tears as he sat with the other judges.
The singer joined Ayda Field, Simon Cowell and Robbie Williams in giving J-Sol a standing ovation, which made the contestant start crying himself.
Clearly overwhelmed, Louis then got up from his chair and went over to J-Sol to give him a hug and express his admiration for the song.
Tragedy: Before singing, J-Sol discussed the tragedy of losing his own mum, explaining: ‘I suddenly lost my mum in 2015’
Awful: Louis became visibly emotional during J-Sol’s performance and was seen wiping away tears as he sat with the other judges
Tribute: Clearly overwhelmed, Louis then got up from his chair and went over to J-Sol to give him a hug and express his admiration for the song
When he returned to the panel, Ayda gave him a consoling hug as he said: ‘Thanks darling. Thank you.’
The Back To You singer told J-Sol: ‘That is the power of music that you can write such a beautiful song that has touched us all on this panel.
‘It was absolutely brilliant, it was moving you’re a legend for what you’ve just done. thank you so much for sharing that with us
Consoling: He went onstage to hug J-Sol and tell him: ‘That was moving for me man, I lost my mum as well. I think you did an amazing job’
Sweet: The pair shared a moment as they bonded over their grief
Deserving: The judges were blown away with J-Sol’s performance and gave him four yeses
Midwife Johannah passed away in December as she left Louis and six other children, 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.
Shortly after the devastating loss, a statement announcing her death read: ‘It is with immeasurable sadness that Johannah Deakin’s family said goodbye to Johannah in the early hours of Wednesday 7th December 2016.
‘Earlier this year Johannah was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of leukaemia that required immediate and continuous treatment. We respectfully request that the family are given time and space to grieve in private.’
Support: When he returned to the panel, Ayda gave him a consoling hug as he said: ‘Thanks darling. Thank you’
Emotional: Fellow judge Ayda Field, whose father died suddenly of a heart attack in 2014, was also deeply moved by the song
Loss: Ayda, who did not see her Turkish dad between the ages of three and 18, reconciled with him years later but was unable to come to his funeral as she was pregnant with her second child
Louis received an army of support from fans in 2016 after he took to the stage at the X Factor final just days after his mother’s passing to perform his new single.
Performing Just Hold On, his new track with Steve Aoki, the star fought back tears after the performance, before thanking his fans on Twitter for their outpouring of support.
Speaking about his mother’s death in an interview in 2017, he said: ‘It’s not something that I feel 100 per cent comfortable talking too much about but just quickly, when I first found out the news I kind of did want to throw the towel in.
‘But it was my mum who said to me that I’ve just got to keep going, telling me very sternly that she wanted me to. So I’m not doing it for her but…’
Grieving: J-Sol also sparked emotion from Simon Cowell, whose mum Julie, 89, who died in 2015, and dad Eric, 81, passed away in 1999
Referring to his X Factor performance, he said: ‘It was tough, but I felt like it was nice for me to almost have a little send off for her.’
J-Sol also sparked emotion from Simon Cowell, whose mum Julie, 89, who died in 2015, and dad Eric, 81, passed away in 1999.
The music mogul told him: ‘It was an amazing audition. You have an amazing voice. This is something we’re all going to remember.’
After J-Sol got four yeses, Simon went up to give him a hug and said: ‘I talk to my mum and dad every single day – are you the same? Literally every decision you make, they’re in your head.’
Clearly overwhelmed by the reaction from his powerful audition, J-Sol said afterwards his mum would be ‘so proud of me’.
Touching moment: After J-Sol got four yeses, Simon went up to give him a hug and said: ‘I talk to my mum and dad every single day – are you the same? Literally every decision you make, they’re in your head’