Hugh Jackman announces the tragic news that his dad died in the early hours of Father’s Day
Hugh Jackman announces his dad Christopher died on Father’s Day: Hollywood star shares powerful tribute to the man who ‘taught him everything’ after his mother abandoned him as a child
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Hugh Jackman has announced that his father, Christopher John Jackman, has died.
In a post shared to Instagram on Monday, the Australian actor, 56, revealed the sad news.
Alongside a photo of his father, he wrote: ‘In the early hours of Father’s Day (AU), my Dad peacefully passed away.
Tragic: Hugh Jackman has announced that his father, Christopher John Jackman, has died. In a post shared to Instagram on Monday, the Australian actor, 56, revealed the sad news. Pictured together last year
‘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.’
Christopher, a British-born, Cambridge-educated accountant, was believed to have been around 84 years old.
Alongside a photo of his father, 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’
The heartbroken actor added in his caption: ‘He devoted his life to his family, his work and his faith. I pray he is now at peace with God’
He raised Hugh and his two brothers, Ian and Ralph, as a single father, in Sydney, Australia.
The Broadway star was an eight-year-old schoolboy when his mother Grace left him and his family.
She left Australia and returned to her native England in the late ’70s, leaving her husband to raise their children alone.
Loss: Christopher, a British-born, Cambridge-educated accountant, was believed to have been around 84 years old
After the couple divorced, Hugh’s sisters, Zoe and Sonya, went to live with Grace in the UK; Hugh and his brothers, Ian and Ralph, stayed in Sydney with their father.
‘It was traumatic,’ Hugh said, recalling his difficult childhood. ‘I thought she was probably going to come back. And then it sort of dragged on and on.’
The Greatest Showman star added that after his mother left, he saw her about ‘once a year’.
Hard working: Christopher raised Hugh and his two brothers, Ian and Ralph, as a single father, in Sydney, Australia. Hugh is pictured as a young man with his father
It wasn’t until he was ’12 or 13′ that it dawned on him his mother would never return.
In 2012, Hugh broke down on 60 Minutes when discussing his mother leaving his father, himself and his siblings.
‘My father is my rock. It’s where I learned everything about loyalty, dependability, being there day in, day out, no matter what,’ Hugh said.
Rock solid: Hugh’s mother, Grace McNeil, left the family and returned to England when Hugh was just eight years old, and he has referred to his dad as his ‘rock’ from then on
‘It’s always about the family,’ he added of the values that his father has instilled in him.
Hugh said he still vividly remembers the morning his mother left.
‘I remember her being in a towel around her head and saying goodbye. [It] must have been the way she said goodbye,’ he said.
Loyal: ‘My father is my rock. It’s where I learned everything about loyalty, dependability, being there day in, day out, no matter what,’ Hugh said
‘As I went off to school, when I came back, there was no one there in the house.’
He added: ‘The next day there was a telegram from England. Mum was there. And then that was it. Dad used to pray every night that mum would come back.’
Hugh once told an Australian magazine: ‘The thing I never felt – and I know this might sound strange – I never felt that my mum didn’t love me.’
Scars: The Broadway star was an eight-year-old schoolboy when his mother Grace left him and his family. She left Australia and returned to her native England in the late ’70s, leaving her husband to raise their children alone. Hugh is pictured as a child
The Logan star told The Australian Women’s Weekly he felt traumatised and ashamed for years after his mother left.
But he came to realise over time that she was struggling with postnatal depression without a proper support system.
‘At the time, it was difficult,’ he said. ‘One of the main things I remember is that horrible feeling that people were talking about you and looking at you because it was odd for the mother to leave.
Forgiveness: ‘The next day there was a telegram from England. Mum was there. And then that was it. Dad used to pray every night that mum would come back’ Hugh said in 2012. He and his mother Grace, pictured together in 2017, have since reconciled
‘For many years, I thought it was not going to be forever, so I clung on to that. Up until about the age of 12 or 13, I thought mum and dad would get back together… Realising it wasn’t going to happen was probably the toughest time to be honest.’
Years later Hugh spoke to his mother about her decision to leave, and realised she had her own battles, which he wouldn’t have been able to understand as a child.
‘I know she was struggling. She was in hospital after I was born suffering from post-natal depression,’ he said.
Learning: Hugh explained that having children of his own with wife Deborra-Lee Furness – they share son Oscar, 21, and daughter Ava, 16, both adopted – gave him ‘another level of empathy and understanding’ that allowed him to build bridges with his mother. High is pictured with his wife on children on the day of his son Oscar’s graduation
‘And then you add five kids into the mix and the fact she had emigrated from England and there wasn’t a support network for her here, plus the fact that dad was at work all day – and you realise that as parents we make mistakes.’
Hugh explained that having children of his own with wife Deborra-Lee Furness – they share son Oscar, 21, and daughter Ava, 16, both adopted – gave him ‘another level of empathy and understanding’ that allowed him to build bridges with his mother.
‘There comes a certain point in life when you have to stop blaming other people for how you feel or the misfortunes in your life,’ he added.
Empathy: ‘I know she was struggling. She was in hospital after I was born suffering from post-natal depression,’ Hugh said of his mother’s plight. Pictured with his mother recently
Fortunately, Hugh and his mother reconciled years later, and are now frequently pictured together at the actor’s ritzy events and in social media posts.
He told The Sun newspaper in October 2011: ‘I am 43 now and we have definitely made our peace, which is important.’
‘I was always quite connected with my mum. I have a good relationship with her’ he added.
Making up: Fortunately, Hugh and his mother reconciled years later, and are now frequently pictured together at the actor’s ritzy events and in social media posts
Hugh frequently shared heartfelt tributes to his father on social media.
For Father’s Day 2018, the Oscar-nominated star shared a touching post on Instagram alongside a photo of the beaming pair.
‘Happy Father’s Day to the man who taught me to show respect for others,’ he gushed.
‘I have a good relationship with her’: Hugh and his mother reconciled years later, with the actor saying in 2011: ‘We have definitely made our peace, which is important’
‘For education, for being led by your passions. Who taught me to never stop growing and learning.’
Hugh added: ‘To work hard and realize that preparation is the bedrock for success. And above all, to find purpose beyond oneself.’
The Greatest Showman finished the post with a simple: ‘I love you Dad!’
Close: Hugh frequently shared heartfelt tributes to his father on social media. He dedicated one such post to ‘the man who taught me to show respect for others’
The Greatest Showman actor recently celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary to wife Deborra-Lee Furness.
In April, Hugh shared photos from their 1996 wedding day alongside a heartfelt tribute.
‘Being married to you, Deb, is as natural as breathing. From nearly the moment we met… I knew our destiny was to be together,’ he began.
In town: Hugh flew to Australia in June without his family, and completed mandatory hotel quarantine in Sydney. The trip was a surprise, and the Tony Award winner did not specify the reason for his visit. Pictured undergoing a Covid-19 test following quarantine in June
‘In our 25 years – our love has only grown deeper. The fun, excitement and adventure more exhilarating; the learning even greater.
In an interview with NBC’s Today show earlier this year, the Chappie actor called his wife the ‘most optimistic person’ in his life.
‘Deb is the lightest, most optimistic person I’ve ever met in my life. Like, if you ever want to play who’s the happiest person in the room, Deb wins,’ he said.
‘People often say, “Oh my god, marriage is so much work.” There are some things you’ve got to live by, but it doesn’t feel like that.
Love: The Greatest Showman actor celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary to wife Deborra-Lee Furness in June. Pictured: the couple on their wedding day in 1996
Support: In an interview with NBC’s Today show earlier this year, the Chappie actor called his wife the ‘most optimistic person’ in his life
‘It’s been one of the best things in my life’.
The couple moved from Sydney to New York with their children in 2008, where they own an apartment in the West Village.
Hugh flew to Australia in June without his family, and completed mandatory hotel quarantine in Sydney.
The trip was a surprise, and the Tony Award winner did not specify the reason for his visit.
Locals: The couple moved from Sydney to New York with their children in 2008, where they own an apartment in the West Village
