Louis Tomlinson's Sister Lottie on Losing Both Their Mother and Sister: 'Grief Is a Powerful Emotion'

Louis and Lottie's mother Johannah Deakin died of leukemia in 2016, while their sister Félicité died of an accidental overdose in 2019

Lottie and Louis Tomlinson attend a party to launch her collection Nails Inc X Lips Inc Matchbox collection, at Tape London on October 25, 2016 in London, England
Lottie and Louis Tomlinson at a party to launch her collection Nails Inc X Lips Inc Matchbox collection, at Tape London in October 2016 in London. Photo:

David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty

Louis Tomlinson’s sister Lottie Tomlinson is opening about the loss of their loved ones.

In a new interview with British newspaper The Times, published on Tuesday, July 23, the beauty content creator, 25, spoke about the deaths of her and Louis’ mother Johannah Deakin as well as their sister Félicité Tomlinson.

While Deakin died of leukemia in 2016, Félicité  — whom the family called Fizz — died of an accidental overdose at the age of 18 in 2019.

"I lost the one person who loved me unconditionally, and then when my sister Fizz died of an accidental overdose, I thought I could never be happy again," Lottie told The Times. "I found the lead-up to Mother’s Day devastating without my sister as well. It was a constant reminder that I was now different from my friends."

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Louis Tomlinson Brings His Own TV to Glastonbury Festival in Order to Watch Soccer Match
Louis and Lottie Tomlinson at Glastonbury Festival in June 2024.

Lottie Tomlinson/Instagram

"In my dreams, my mum was still there; she was alive," she added. "I woke up feeling comforted, only to realize that she’d gone."

In addition to Louis, now 32, Lottie and Félicité, Deakin shared twins Phoebe and Daisy, now 20, with ex Mark Tomlinson, as well as another set of twins, son Ernest and daughter Doris, now 10, with her husband Dan Deakin.

Louis Tomlinson and his mother Johannah Poulston
Louis Tomlinson and Johannah Deakin at the Believe in Magic Cinderella Ball at the Natural History Museum in August 2015 in London.

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Speaking about the death of her younger sister, which came less than three years after her mother’s passing, Lottie told The Times, "We weren’t mentally prepared."

"I can’t even remember if the two funerals were in the same church. I think grief has affected my memory a lot and that’s quite common," she added. "Grief is such a powerful emotion; it takes up a lot of your brain."

Meanwhile, Lottie — who is expecting her second baby with partner Lewis Burton, with whom she already shares son Lucky, 23 months — chooses to remain positive by knowing that her mother and sister are together. 

“It’s heartbreaking they aren’t with us any more, but they are together and they are looking out for me,” she said.

Felicite Tomlinson posts on Instagram with family including Louis Tomlinson
Louis Tomlinson pictured with sisters Félicité, Lottie, Phoebe and Daisy.

Felicite Tomlinson/Instagram

Asked what she would tell a person who has gone through the loss of multiple loved ones, Lottie said, "I would say, ‘You are going to be OK; you will live a nice life.'"

"I didn’t think I could. I thought this will be a really sad, lonely life without my mum and sister," she added. "I wouldn’t have believed then that I could be happy again. But it would have been nice to hear."

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