Louis Tomlinson has thanked his fans for their "incredible" support.

Louis Tomlinson

Louis Tomlinson

The 24-year-old singer has returned to Instagram for the first time since the tragic death of his mother Johannah Deakin - who lost her battle with leukaemia last week - to share his gratitude with his followers.

Louis shared a photo of himself and Steve Aoki performing their track 'Just Hold On' at the 'X Factor' final at the weekend and captioned the Instagram post: "Thank you for the incredible support :)"

Louis had previously thanked his loved ones and fans for supporting him through the live TV performance.

He tweeted after the show: "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!

"Feeling so much love around me and my family . Mum would have been so f***ing proud ( sorry for swearing mum ) love you !(sic)"

And the One Direction star also thanked his collaborator Steve for his support.

He posted: "Also @steveaoki , you have been such a rock and inspiration throughout this ! Pure talent and a real gent ! (sic)"

But Steve shared the sentiments, replying to the message: "U were the rock my brother. U are my inspiration. U have the biggest f***ing heart and I'm so proud of u. Blew us all away for her. (sic)"

Following his tearful performance on 'The X Factor', the show's head judge Simon Cowell praised Louis for his "bravery".

He said: "I have to say something to you. I've known you for six years, what you've just done - the bravery.

"I respect you as an artist and I respect you as a person. Your mum was so proud of you Louis and she was so looking forward to this performance. She's watching over you now and you've done her so proud."

The chart-topping track is believed to be a tribute to Johannah and features the lyrics: "What do you do when a chapter ends / Do you close the book and never read it again / Where do you go when your story's done / You can be who you were or who you'll become."

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