Published 15:44 06 Sep 2021 GMT
Hugh Jackman has announced the tragic news that his "extraordinary" dad Christopher has passed away on Australian Father's Day on September 5.
The Hollywood actor penned a poignant tribute to his beloved father as he shared the sad news with his 30 million followers.
Confessing that he's filled with a "deep sadness" as a result of the devastating news, the X-Men star shared a heartwarming image of his dad.
Alongside the image, he wrote: "In the early hours of Father's Day (AU), my Dad peacefully passed away.
"And whilst there is deep sadness, I am filled with such gratitude and love. My Dad was, in a word, extraordinary."
"He devoted his life to his family, his work and his faith. I pray he is now at peace with God," he added.
Hugh's British father was believed to have been around 84 years old when he passed.
Christopher raised The Greatest Showman star Hugh and his two brothers, Ian and Ralph, as a single father in Sydney, Australia.
Jackman's parents - who emigrated to Australia from the UK in 1967 - divorced when he was just eight years old.
It was then when his mother Grace left Australia and returned to England in the late 70s, leaving Christopher to raise their children on his own.
His two sisters, his sisters, Zoe and Sonya, went to live with Grace when she moved back to the United Kingdom, while Hugh and his other two brothers remained with their father.
Recalling his childhood, Hugh admitted that it was "traumatic".
He said: "I thought she [Grace] was probably going to come back. And then it sort of dragged on and on."
In a 2012 interview with Australia's 60 Minutes on the subject of his upbringing, Jackman stated that the experience of his parents separating had been "traumatic" for him as a youth.
Per the above publication, Jackman stated: "I remember her being in a towel around her head and saying goodbye. [It] must have been the way she said goodbye.
"As I went off to school, when I came back, there was no one there in the house."
"The next day there was a telegram from England. Mom was there. And then that was it. Dad used to pray every night that mom would come back," he added.
