Sad news for Keith Urban. The country singer's father Robert Urban has passed away, just days after it was revealed he had entered hospice care. Keith announced the news in a statement to People magazine on Saturday night, saying his father was "finally at peace".
"I've been deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support that Nicole [Kidman] and I, and our family, have received since my Dad's passing on Saturday night," the 48-year-old singer said in a statement. "His long battle with cancer is now over and he is finally at peace. My dad's love of country music and America set me on my life's journey, and shaped so much of who I am today.
Keith Urban's father Robert has passed away
"Thank you to everyone who has kept us all in your thoughts and prayers."
It was only on Wednesday that Keith opened up about his father's condition, while promoting his Keith Urban So Far… exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame. The father-of-two said: "He’s probably only got a few weeks, if that. I've just been dealing with that the last couple of days.
"This has all come at a very strange time where it's typical of a career that has extreme highs and extreme lows all often at the exact same time," he told The Tennessean. "So [the exhibit] is bittersweet a little bit because [my dad] is the catalyst for all of this. My dad is the catalyst for me living in America."
The singer said his father was "finally at peace"
Keith, who was born in New Zealand, shared that his dad thought it was important that he "dressed like a performer," and recalled that it was his father who inspired him to live his dreams as a singer.
"I want to make those kinds of records, that people know are going to be solid and they go out and get it. I want to thank dad for starting me on this journey."
There's no doubt that Keith will have the full support of his wife Nicole Kidman, who lost her father after suffering a fall last year. The actress recently opened up about her and her husband's "wonderful" relationship. The couple, who met in 2005 and married the following year, share two children together - Sunday, seven and Faith, five.