Justin Bieber has apologized to his fans for canceling the remaining dates of his Purpose World Tour, penning a lengthy letter explaining the reasons for the controversial decision.

The 23-year-old Sorry singer posted the heartfelt message on his Instagram page on Wednesday night (02Aug17) - marking the first time he has properly addressed the cancellation.

Explaining his call to axe the last few dates on the tour, Justin told his followers that he decided to put himself first in a bid for a better future.

“Me taking this time right now is me saying I want to be SUSTAINABLE,” he wrote. “I want my career to be sustainable, but I also want my mind heart and soul to be sustainable. So that I can be the man I want to be, the husband I eventually want to be and the father I want to be.”

The cancellation has divided opinion with Justin's fans. John Mayer is among those supporting the star for putting his mental health first, while One Direction star Louis Tomlinson criticized him for backing out of a commitment.

However, Justin continued the post to tell his followers that their support has been what has kept him going over the past few, tough weeks.

“Im grateful for the tours but most of all I am grateful i get to go through this life WITH YOU!” he wrote. “Learning and growing hasn’t always been easy but knowing I im not alone has kept me going. I have let my insecurities get the best of me at times.

“I let my broken relationships dictate the way I acted toward people and the way I treated them! i let bitterness, jealously and fear run my life.!!!! I am extremely blessed to have people in the past few years help me build my character back up reminding me of who I am and who I want to be!!!

"Reminding me my past decisions and past relationships don’t dictate my future decisions and future relationships. Im VERY aware i’m never gonna be perfect, and I’m gonna keep making mistakes, but what I’m gonna do is let my past dictate my future (sic)."

Before apologizing for the note's grammatical errors, Justin concluded: "This message is just an opportunity for you to know my heart, I’m not expecting anyone to understand, but I do want people to have an opportunity to know where I am coming from!"