“For your friends, this will last 10 minutes. For you, it’ll be a lifetime.” I’ll never forget my housemistress saying those words as she knelt beside me in her office, keeping others away while I absorbed the news. I had just learned that my dad died on a cold, crowded platform at Liverpool Street Station. It was the worst day of my life—and the start of a completely new one.

Now, 15 years and a series of therapists and therapies later, I can talk about it more clearly: it wasn’t my fault, and there was nothing I could have done to save him. From Louis Tomlinson’s recent interview on the Diary of a CEO podcast, it sounds like he’s come to a similar realization.

“I felt utterly guilty and I felt powerless,” he shared when asked about his sister Félicité’s death in 2019. “To lose my sister the way we did, even though I knew it wasn’t fair to blame myself… I felt like I’d let my sister and my mum down, really.”

Félicité died from an accidental overdose involving a mix of drugs, and Tomlinson described her as “fragile” in the period before it happened. His mother, Johannah Deakin, passed away from acute leukaemia in 2016, and his friend and One Direction bandmate Liam Payne died after falling from a hotel roof in 2024.

“I felt that I’d failed her,” Tomlinson said of his mother, referring to the time of his sister’s death, “and I know if she were here now, she’d tell me I didn’t. But that doesn’t change how I feel.”

Hearing people like Tomlinson or Andrew Garfield speak so openly about their grief—from the initial shock and questioning what more they could have done, to eventually finding a way to accept it—is incredibly important. Death is a part of life. It will affect all of us at some point, and ignoring that won’t make it disappear.

Through their own private reflection and, I imagine, some form of therapy for trauma or loss, both men show that you can eventually learn to distinguish between what you can and can’t control. Their honesty highlights how certain experiences, like loss, are universal, no matter how much success you’ve had.

On World Mental Health Day, I’m deeply thankful to Louis for being so open about what it’s like to lose loved ones—and for showing the strength that comes with healing over time.

Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the importance of Louis Tomlinsons openness regarding his struggle with grief designed to be clear and conversational

General Beginner Questions

1 Who is Louis Tomlinson and what grief has he experienced
Louis Tomlinson is a singer and songwriter formerly of the band One Direction He has been very open about the profound grief of losing his mother Johannah Deakin to leukemia in 2016 and later his younger sister Félicité in 2019

2 Why is it considered a big deal that he talks about his grief
Its a big deal because hes a major celebrity with a huge platform By speaking openly he challenges the stereotype that men especially in the public eye should be stoic and silent about their pain

3 Whats the main benefit of him being so open
The main benefit is that it helps to normalize conversations about grief It shows his fans and the public that its okay to not be okay and that grieving is a natural human process not something to be hidden

4 Has Louis done anything specific to help others with grief
Yes he has dedicated songs about his mother like Two of Us and speaks about his loss in interviews He also participated in the documentary All of Those Voices which candidly explores his journey through grief and fame

Deeper Advanced Questions

5 How does his openness help to destigmatize grief
When a famous person shares their authentic struggle it makes the topic less taboo It gives others particularly young men permission to acknowledge their own grief and seek support without feeling weak or ashamed

6 What impact does this have on his fans
Many fans have shared that his honesty has helped them feel less alone in their own experiences with loss It creates a sense of community and shared understanding showing that even their idol goes through the same painful emotions

7 Isnt it emotionally difficult for him to keep talking about it
Almost certainly yes However he has indicated that while its painful he finds purpose in it By channeling his grief into his music and using his platform he turns his personal pain into a source of connection and support for others

8 What can we learn from the way he handles grief
We can learn