Louis Tomlinson bids final farewell to mom

Pop star Louis Tomlinson was supported by his One Direction bandmate Liam Payne as he laid his mother to rest just days before Christmas.

Johannah Deakin lost her battle with leukemia on 7 December (16), aged 43, and on 21 December (16), her family and friends gathered to pay their respects at a funeral in Doncaster, England.

According to local paper The Doncaster Star, Liam provided a little moral support for his close pal as he joined Louis and his relatives for the private service and wake at the Ye Olde Bell Hotel and Restaurant.

Security was said to be tight to allow the singer and his six siblings to grieve in peace.

Louis has yet to comment on the funeral, but he took to Twitter the following day to thank fans for supporting his debut solo single, the Steve Aoki collaboration Just Hold On, which he performed in his mother's memory on Britain's The X Factor just three days after her death.

"The support for Just Hold On has been unbelievable," he wrote in a post on 22 December (16). "I was nervous about doing something on my own but you lot have given me somuch confidence... So again thanks ! You're all siiiiiiick (awesome)."

Louis also returned to the social media site as he turned 25 on Christmas Eve (24Dec16) to express his gratitude for devotees' well wishes.

He tweeted, "Thank you for all the birthday message (sic) you're all lovely ! Had a big night last night so feeling it today".