Louis Tomlinson and his mother Johannah Poulston in 2015. Photo / Getty
Louis Tomlinson and his mother Johannah Poulston in 2015. Photo / Getty
Louis Tomlinson has broken his Instagram silence since his mother Johannah's tragic passing, to thank fans for their support.
According to Daily Mail UK, the star, 24, took to the site on Friday to upload a photo of him onstage with Steve Aoki at the Wembley Arena -shortly after their performance at the X Factor final on Saturday.
He accompanied the image, which received over 500,000 likes within an hour of its posting, with the caption: 'Thank you for the incredible support :)'
The sweet throwback photo, which Louis uploaded three weeks ago, sees him and Johannah smiling side by side as they prepared to make their way to the BRIT Awards back in February.
He wrote beside the photo, posted just weeks before her untimely death: 'My mother looking gorgeous before the Brits earlier this year . I love you and miss you so much!'
'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.'
However nothing short of professional, Louis decided to continue with his planned live performance on the X Factor final on Saturday night alongside DJ Steve Aoki - in tribute to his 42-year-old mum.
Recording artist Louis Tomlinson performing on stage. Photo / Getty
Premiering his first solo effort, Just Hold On, the star received a standing ovation for the energetic performance, in light of his heartbreaking loss.
Acknowledging Louis' strength and courage, Simon Cowell said after his appearance:
'Louis, I have to say I've known you for six years. The bravery of what you've done. I respect you as an artist, as a person and your mum was so proud of you and she was so excited for the performance.
Before emotionally adding: 'She's looking down on you tonight.'
Prior to his Instagram post on Friday the youngster had already taken to Twitter to show his gratitude to fans for helping him through his grief.
Addressing his 25.3 million followers, he wrote: 'All the support has been incredible! Let's do this together tonight.'
Following the set he then added, clearly overwhelmed: 'Feeling so much love around me and my family. Mum would have been so f**ing proud ( sorry for swearing mum ) love you !...
'That was harder than I ever imagined. I want to thank everyone around me and all of the amazing fans out there that made that so special!'
Before praising his collaborator Steve, as he finished: 'Also @steveaoki , you have been such a rock and inspiration throughout this ! Pure talent and a real gent !'
The debut dance single has since topped the iTunes charts in 29 countries, and reached the top five in a whopping total of 67.
Johannah leaves behind Louis and six other children - Lottie, 18, Felicite, 16, twins Daisy and Phoebe, both 12, and twins Ernest and Doris, both aged two, as well as Louis' ten-month-old son Freddie.
