From the loss of loved ones, to his strained relationship with his father, to the conspiracy
theory that his son isn't real, the tragic real-life story of Louis Tomlinson should
come with a complimentary box of Kleenex.
Fans of Louis Tomlinson are probably well aware of the deep bond he had with his late
mother, Johannah Deakin.
Tragically, Deakin's time on Earth was cut short after she passed away from leukemia
in December 2016 at the age of 43.
Tomlinson first got the call about his mom's terminal diagnosis while attending a friend's
wedding, a moment he described as "super-traumatic."
He spoke about his mother during an interview on SiriusXM a month after her passing, saying,
"It's not something that I feel 100 percent comfortable talking too much about, but just
quickly, when I first found out the news I kind of did want to throw the towel in.
But it was my mum who said to me that I've just got to keep going.
She told me very sternly that she wanted me to."
Deakin died less than a year after the birth of Tomlinson's son, Freddie.
The proud mom was also survived by Tomlinson's six siblings, including her then 2-year-old
twins, Ernest and Doris.
Louis Tomlinson's family suffered another horrible loss on March 13, 2019, when his
18-year-old sister Félicité passed away from a suspected heart attack.
Félicité, a social media influencer and aspiring fashion designer, was pronounced
dead by paramedics after she unexpectedly collapsed at her London apartment.
The health emergency was reportedly shocking to Louis and his loved ones, as Félicité
hadn't shown any warning signs and didn't have any history of heart trouble.
Six months after her passing, an inquest into her death revealed that she died of an accidental
overdose.
Following Félicité's untimely passing, a source told The Sun that the family was "devastated."
Louis was hit especially hard, and he canceled all of the promotional events for his new
single, "Two of Us."
According to the source,
"It's just the biggest tragedy and everyone wants to be there for Louis, who is the leader
of his family since the loss of his mother and always there for all his siblings."
"Two of Us" is about the death of Louis' mother, which makes the timing of Félicité's death
all the more tragic.
Our hearts go out to the Tomlinson family as they heal from both of these losses.
"I know that, in terms of emotionally, I've been taken to the nth degree, and I still
manage to perform, cause that's what she'd want me to do."
Tomlinson was one proud papa when he welcomed his son Freddie into the world in January
2016.
But his happiness took a complicated turn after Freddie's mother, Briana Jungwirth,
put a wrench in his visitation schedule.
Jungwirth and Tomlinson were never a long-term couple, at least not publicly, and reportedly
weren't together when Freddie was born.
Things seemed to be okay between the new parents until Tomlinson's then-girlfriend, Danielle
Campbell, stepped onto the scene in the summer of 2016.
After Campbell and Tomlinson were spotted enjoying a day at the beach with Freddie,
Jungwirth tweeted,
"You will NEVER be my baby son's mother."
Campbell's presence is what reportedly sparked custody issues between Jungwirth and Tomlinson,
and Tomlinson reportedly accused Jungwirth of being inconsistent with allowing him visitation
of their son.
Making matters even more dramatic is that Tomlinson reportedly believed that Jungwirth
was withholding Freddie in a scheme to get more money.
Considering that he bought her and Freddie a home worth hundreds of thousands of dollars,
he didn't appreciate the alleged custody antics.
Tomlinson filed for joint custody in June 2016, and since then, it appears that the
two managed to get on better terms, as they celebrated Freddie's first birthday together.
"Make sure he gets the British accent, though, cause that'd be pretty cool."
"I'm trying, I'm trying, yeah, yeah, it's tough, though, it's tough."
Although it might be difficult to believe, some fans started a rumor that Tomlinson's
son wasn't real.
It all started with the theory that his relationship with Briana Jungwirth was set up for publicity.
Supposed evidence included that a Jungwirth fan account was created two days before the
couple's first public outing.
The date night was photographed by British newspaper The Sun, and the outlet was the
first to announce Jungwirth's pregnancy in July 2015.
Internet sleuths also brought up a moment that occurred at a June 2015 One Direction
concert.
In a moment that a few people interpreted as a bit of foreshadowing, Tomlinson threw
a baby doll off of the stage while shouting, "It's not real!"
And that's just the tip of the conspiratorial iceberg.
In an upsetting and decidedly real turn of events, the rumors caught up with Tomlinson
in April 2016 while he was putting Freddie into his car seat.
In a since-deleted video of the incident, a paparazzo can be heard telling the dad,
"Hey mate, it's good to see your baby's real, man."
It was a remark that didn't go over too well as Tomlinson shot back,
"Have a bit of respect for the baby."
While some conspiracy theories are harmless, others can actually hurt innocent people,
as this incident proved.
"It's laughable.
Absolutely laughable."
"Nonsense, nonsense."
One Direction fans have a knack for creating conspiracy theories.
In addition to the fake baby scandal, some fans speculated that Tomlinson was in a secret
relationship with his former bandmate, Harry Styles.
Not only did these fans give them the nickname "Larry Stylinson," they also created YouTube
videos depicting supposed evidence of their relationship.
Others wrote fan fiction and created fan art that depicted the two in romantic scenarios.
While it's common for fans to ship celebrities together, this rumor was different because
it made assumptions about Tomlinson's orientation.
The stress of the situation eventually took a toll on his friendship with Styles, a sad
reality he touched on in a July 2017 interview with The Sun, in which he said,
"I'm so protective over things like that, about the people I love.
So it created this atmosphere between the two of us where everyone was looking into
everything we did."
Former 1D member Zayn Malik also addressed the situation in an interview with Fader,
stating,
"It's not funny, and it still continues to be quite hard for them.
They won't naturally go put their arm around each other because they're conscious of this
thing that's going on, which is not even true."
Tomlinson has struggled with painful bouts of self-doubt throughout the years, especially
where it concerns his involvement in One Direction.
The singer felt like he didn't have the "It" factor his bandmates enjoyed, a sentiment
he elaborated on in a June 2017 interview with The Guardian.
He praised Niall Horan as "lovely" and "fearless," Liam Payne as having "good stage presence,"
Harry Styles as being "very cool," and Zayn Malik as having a "fantastic voice."
Then he ended his gushing tribute by saying, quote, "And then there's me."
It sounds like Tomlinson could use a reality check, because he's definitely talented and
beloved by many.
Sadly, Tomlinson's insecurity followed him into his solo career.
He told The Guardian,
"If you'd asked me a year or 18 months ago: 'Are you going to do anything as a solo artist?'
I'd have said absolutely not."
He added,
"I couldn't say to you now that I could definitely get a superstar writer in a session with me.
And I understand that.
Harry won't struggle with any of that."
Despite Tomlinson's fears, his solo singles have performed pretty well on the Billboard
charts.
Although Tomlinson maintained a strong relationship with his mom until her death, the same cannot
be said for his biological father, Troy Austin.
Tomlinson's mother and Austin divorced when their son was very young, with the future
star eventually adopting the last name of his stepfather, Mark Tomlinson.
In March 2013, Austin gave an in-depth interview to The Mirror about his strained relationship
with his son.
He expressed regret about their falling out and spoke about his efforts to reconnect.
He shared,
"Seeing what he's done with his life makes me so happy.
I know people will think I'm only ­interested in being part of his life again because he's
rich and famous.
But it's not about that."
Louis apparently wasn't very happy with Austin's public move.
The same day that the interview went live, he tweeted,
"I'd like to start off the day by saying a big f--- you to [The Mirror.]"
Two years later, Austin reportedly planned to drop a bombshell about Tomlinson's life.
A source told The Mirror,
"He sees it as his final shot at getting Louis's attention, and he's said he will drop the
bombshell it if he feels it’s the only option he's got left, even though it would come as
a massive shock.
He knows it could cause another big rift within the family but is ­starting to feel he has
nothing left to lose."
In response, Tomlinson's stepdad tweeted,
"Blackmail?????????
Stupid man.
Got a good mind to pay you a visit!!!!"
After Tomlinson's mother passed away, he received more bad news when his biological father was
diagnosed with liver cancer in May 2018.
Troy Austin blamed drinking and smoking for his illness.
He also painted a picture of how dark his life had become before the diagnosis, telling
The Sun,
"Some days I wouldn't eat at all but would just drink and smoke.
I would drink to celebrate the good times and drink to cope with the bad.
Whatever life threw at me I would drink.
And there was stress.
The stress of my mum dying in March last year and my dog Okee died five days before Christmas."
Luckily for Austin, doctors at Northern General Hospital in Sheffield, England were able to
remove the cancerous tumor following a four-hour surgery.
Tomlinson didn't speak publicly about his estranged father's surgery, but it's not hard
to imagine that it brought up bad memories for him.
Despite Tomlinson's silence, Austin expressed hope for a reunion, telling The Sun,
"As for Louis, if he ever wanted to make contact then I would be happy for that to happen."
When you're a member of a mega-popular boy band, it can be easy for resentment to build
up between you and your bandmates.
Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik are no exception to this rule, as they've been on the outs
ever since Malik left the group in 2015 for "private time."
The bad blood first surfaced when Malik skipped Tomlinson's first performance following the
2016 death of his mother.
Tomlinson publicly admitted that the incident bothered him.
By October 2019, Tomlinson still wasn't ready to make peace.
He told Metro,
"At the moment, I am still pretty mad about the whole thing.
I don't think he handled it very well.
But never say never.
Who knows?
He chatted a lot of s--- in the early days.
I thought One Direction were pretty good."
What's heartbreaking about all of this is that Tomlinson's mother's dying wish was for
the guys to make things right, because, as she once put it, quote, "Life is too f---ing
short."
All we can say is we hope the two are able to put all of this behind them one day.
Before Tomlinson joined One Direction in 2010, he was just another aspiring musician trying
out various bands.
At one point early in his career, he became part of a group that he really loved.
During an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden in October 2019, he noted
that it was his first moment of singing and performing.
All seemed to be going well until he was asked during a speaking and listening exam in English
class to talk about something he was really fond of.
Naturally enough, he chose to talk about the band.
"And this kid asked me a question, I can't remember exactly what the question was, but
it ended in me realizing that I was actually been kicked out of that band.
And I didn't even know about it."
Talk about a humiliating experience!
This incident might not be quite as tragic as others in Tomlinson's life, but it's still
awful to lose something you love no matter what it is.
But don't feel too bad for him, as it all worked out in the end.
The lead guitarist, it turned out, was jealous and wanted all the glory for himself.
"I had the last laugh, really, didn't I?"
"You certainly did."
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