Louis Tomlinson is remembering his mother Johannah Deakin fondly.
The One Direction member, 25, tweeted on what would have been his mom’s 44th birthday Saturday, expressing his continual love for Deakin to mark the occasion.
“Happy birthday Mum. I love you x,” he wrote simply.
Deakin lost her battle with leukemia in December, and the singer took to The X-Factor stage just three days after she died to launch his solo career by performing his single, “Just Hold On.”
“When I first found out about the news, I did want to throw the towel in,” Tomlinson told SiriusXM in January of how his mother’s death affected him. “But it was mum that said to me that I just gotta keep going. She told me very sternly that she wanted me to.”
Happy birthday Mum. I love you x
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) March 25, 2017
RELATED VIDEO: Louis Tomlinson’s Mom Johannah Deakin, 43, Has Died from Leukemia
“So I’m not doing it for her, but we’re doing it for each other,” continued the singer, who celebrated his son Freddie Reign’s first birthday in January. “It was tough, but I felt like it was nice for me to have a little send-off.”
FROM COINAGE: Here’s How To Save on Concert Tickets So You Still Have Money For Merch
Tomlinson’s X-Factor performance earned him a rave review from Simon Cowell, who praised Tomlinson for his courage, talent and character.
“You know what. I have to say something to you,” Cowell said as the musician, who got his start on the show, stood onstage. “I’ve known you now for six years. What you’ve just done — and the bravery — I respect you as an artist, I respect you as a person, and your mum was so proud of you, Louis, and she was so looking forward to tonight.
“She watching down on you now, and you’ve done her proud,” he added.