Viewers were very proud of Louis Tomlinson's emotional tribute to his mum on X Factor

Tonight's X Factor was a tough one.

Following the news that Louis' mum Johannah Deakin died following a long battle with leukaemia, tributes and emotional support was flooding in for Louis, from fans and celebrities alike. Johannah who was due to turn 43, passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Louis was very close to his mother and often shared pictures of them together. Earlier today, the 24-year-old former One Direction singer thanked everyone for their condolences and was pressing ahead with his performance of Just Hold On on tonight's X Factor.

All the support has been incredible! Let's do this together tonight .
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) December 10, 2016

#JustHoldOn @Louis_Tomlinson @TheXFactor ❤️ #ProudOfLouis https://t.co/D3OgPkySlY pic.twitter.com/pNbEINjvAk
— Steve Aoki (@steveaoki) December 10, 2016

Following his performance of his debut single with Steve Aoki, Simon Cowell applauded his courage in performing so soon after Johannah passing. The music mogul said:

"'Louis, I have to say I've known you for six years. The bravery of what you've done. I respect you as an artist, as a person and your mum was so proud of you and she was so excited for the performance. She's looking down on you tonight."

Louis' fans took to Twitter to praise him, using the hashtag #ProudofLouis.

Blowing a kiss to his mum ❤️ #ProudOfLouis #XFactor pic.twitter.com/8QoE1v9s9F — Santa Claus (@1DAFSanta) December 10, 2016

It broke my heart. #ProudOfLouis #XFactor pic.twitter.com/tj0Ua6H84y
— Jojo in Dunkirk (@jordanmanie) December 10, 2016

Brave performance from @Louis_Tomlinson . Can't begin to imagine how him and his family are feeling. Great song too. #ProudOfLouis — James McVey (@TheVampsJames) December 10, 2016