Simon Cowell is ''overwhelmed'' by the messages of support he has received following the death of his mother.

The 55-year-old music mogul was left devastated when his beloved mum Julie died of cancer at the weekend but he has been touched by the kindness of his fans in the wake of the tragedy.

He tweeted: ''My family lost someone very special on Sunday. My Mum. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all of the kind messages received. Thank you. X''

Announcing Julie's death on Sunday (05.07.15) evening, Simon - who has 16-month-old son Eric with girlfriend Lauren Silverman - and his family said they were heartbroken and would ''miss her terribly''.

A statement read: ''Today our beloved mum Julie passed away. Anyone who had met her would know what a truly special and kind lady she was. We are heartbroken and will miss her terribly, but she is now at peace.''

A spokesman for the family added: ''We would like to thank the media for kindly respecting Julie's privacy throughout and we politely request continued privacy for the entire family at this particularly difficult time.''

Simon is also due back at work today (08.07.15) to begin filming auditions for 'The X Factor' with Nick Grimshaw, Rita Ora and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, having postponed them from Monday (06.07.15) in order to be given time to grieve for his mum.

A source previously said: ''Simon needs time to get over the death of Julie, it is a huge loss for him and his family.

''But at the same time, he knows how many people are involved in 'The X Factor' and doesn't like to let people down.''