Johannah Deakin, the mother of One Direction star Louis Tomlinson, has died at the age of 43.
The mum-of-seven had been battling an aggressive form of leukaemia, but lost her battle in the early hours of Wednesday (7 December) morning.
The family released a statement (via Daily Mail) confirming the sad news.
“It is with immeasurable sadness that Johannah Deakin’s family said goodbye to Johannah in the early hours of Wednesday 7th December 2016,” it read.
‘”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.”
Johannah’s husband Dan Deakin added: “Johannah was first and foremost a truly amazing mother to seven children – Louis (24), Lottie (18), Félicité (16), and two sets of twins, Phoebe and Daisy (12) and Ernest and Doris (2) - whose individual talents and success are testament to the principles and beliefs she instilled in them. She was also an incredibly proud grandmother to Freddie.
“Incredibly selfless, 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.”
He continued: “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, and rarely without success.
“These are the things that made Johannah happy and content in life, and all of which for me made her simply the perfect wife and best friend to face each day with.’
“I thoroughly loved walking through life with her, and though five years was far too short a time, during that time we had so many lifetimes worth of happiness, adventures, and memories.
“We would like to send our sincere thanks to Professor Steve Mackinnon and his team at University College London Hospital where Johannah was hospitalised since May. And during the last few weeks Professor John Snowden and his colleagues at Royal Hallamshire Hospital Sheffield.”
Louis’ former bandmates Zayn Malik and Liam Payne were among those who offered their condolences on Twitter, as were Simon Cowell and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini.
Reports have claimed Louis is set to perform a tribute to his mum on Saturday’s ‘X Factor’ final.
HuffPost UK has contacted an ‘X Factor’ spokesperson for comment on this story.