Father of popular singer fights for his life amid a cancer diagnosis

Eighteen months after the death of his mother, Louis Tomlinson‘s estranged father is battling liver cancer.

Troy Austin, who split from Louis' mum when the star was just a baby, underwent surgery after blood tests revealed he had a cancerous tumor on his liver. The 49-year-old hopes the four-hour surgery has saved his life.

According to Daily Mail, Troy blames himself for his shocking diagnosis. He said, “I believe my tumor was down to drinking and smoking. And my diet was terrible. It was Chinese and Indian takeaways and a lot of chips.”

The diagnosis followed years of heavy drinking and smoking but now he insists he is a changed man as he paid tribute to the doctors and nurses saying: “The doctors are amazing and the nurses are hilarious, they really lift your spirits every day”.

Troy’s tragic diagnosis comes after his own mother, Louis’ grandmother, died of cancer in March 2017. Now, the distraught dad, who abandoned Louis and his mom when the pop star was just a week old, wants to reconnect with his son and heal their rift.

He and his son drifted further apart when Louis found fame and fortune with One Direction. They have not spoken in about five years. The family break-up mirrors the situation with Troy and his own dad Harry Austin, whom he has not seen for 30 years.

Any hopes of reconciliation seem unlikely though as Louis has made no secret of the fact that he is not a fan of his father. No word yet on whether the latest news about his dad’s health will change his mind.

Louis’ mum Johannah Deakin, 43, died in December 2016, just a few days before he was to perform his debut solo song Just Hold On at the X Factor final. He bravely took to the stage despite the heartache.

After splitting from Troy, the singer's mum married Mark Tomlinson and Louis took his surname. Johanna then went on to marry Dan Deakin in 2014.