Photo: Getty Images
Troy Austin abandoned Louis and his mom when Louis was only a week old.
By Emily Blackwood — Written on Apr 30, 2020
Louis Tomlinson's father has been absent for all of his son's life, but a 2018 cancer diagnosis has him wanting to reach out.
Troy Austin, 49, revealed that he had a tumor removed after learning he had liver cancer.
“I believe my tumor was down to drinking and smoking," Austin said. "I can’t blame it on anything else. Each day I was smoking up to 25 cigarettes and drinking six to eight cans of Tyskie, a Polish lager."
"And my diet was terrible. It was Chinese and Indian takeaways and a lot of chips [fries].”
This news came 18 months after Louis, 26, lost his mother, Johannah Deakin, 43, to leukemia. She died in December 2016.
The former One Direction star is estranged from his father after Austin abandoned Louis and Joannah when Louis was only a week old.
Austin told the paper that he'd be happy to reconcile with his son.
“As for Louis, if he ever wanted to make contact then I would be happy for that to happen.”
A reconciliation between the two doesn't seem likely. In March 2013, Troy pleaded for his son to reconnect with him.
“Of course, I would love to see him again and have a proper relationship with him. What dad wouldn’t? But it’s up to him,” Troy said at the time.
Louis responded via Twitter by saying: "I'd like to start off the day by saying a big f--k you to 'the mirror.'"
After he was born and Austin had left, Louis took his stepfather Mark Tomlinson's name.
He and Johannah got divorced when Louis was competing on X Factor.
Louis has yet to comment publicly on his father's diagnosis. They reportedly haven't spoken in at least five years.
Emily Blackwood is a writer and editor living in California. She covers all things news, pop culture, true crime.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on May 18, 2018 and was updated with the latest information.