"Deep sadness": Hugh Jackman's tragic news
<p>Hugh Jackman has announced his dad, Christopher, died on Father's Day and the Hollywood star has shared a powerful tribute to his father who "taught him everything" after his mother abandoned him as a child.</p>
<p>The Australian actor, 56, shared the news on Instagram alongside an image of his father, saying: '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<br />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.’</p>
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<p>Christopher Jackman was a British-born, Cambridge-educated accountant, who was believed to have been around 84 years old.</p>
<p>Christopher and his ex-wife - Hugh's mum - Grace, are both British and while Hugh was born in Australia, he is a British citizen, having said: “My parents are English and I have a British passport so I'm a British citizen.”</p>
<p>Grace left Oz and returned to her native England in the late '70s, leaving her husband to raise Hugh alone and his siblings alone when Hugh was eight-years-old..</p>
<p>Recalling his difficult childhood previously Hugh has said: ''It was traumatic. 'I thought she was probably going to come back. And then it sort of dragged on and on.”</p>
<p>It wasn't until Hugh was '12 or 13' that it dawned on him his mother would never return. In 2012, Hugh broke down on <em>60 Minutes</em> when discussing his mother leaving his father, himself and his siblings. He said: “My father is my rock. It's where I learned everything about loyalty, dependability, being there day in, day out, no matter what.”</p>
<p>“It's always about the family,” he added of the values that his father has instilled in him. “Dad used to pray every night that mum would come back,” he added.</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>The star told has said he felt traumatised and ashamed for years after his mother left but that he’s since come to realise over time that she was struggling with postnatal depression without a proper support system.</p>
<p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.36645962732916px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843797/hugh-jackman-mum-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/e0061752e2164e4893c50b4574d967c1" /></p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>“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.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>“I know she was struggling. She was in hospital after I was born suffering from post-natal depression,” he said.</p>
<p>“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,” he added.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.46853146853147px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843798/hugh-jackman-6-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9a19c66ec31a4b2093b1a14d676f0465" /></p>
<p><strong>Frequent heartfelt tributes to his father</strong></p>
<p>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 posted.</p>
<p>'For education, for being led by your passions. Who taught me to never stop growing and learning.’</p>
<p>Hugh added: 'To work hard and realize that preparation is the bedrock for success. And above all, to find purpose beyond oneself.'</p>
<p>The well-known actor finished the post with a simple: 'I love you Dad!'</p>
<p><strong>25th wedding anniversary of his own</strong></p>
<p>The Broadway actor recently celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary to wife Deborra-Lee Furness.</p>
<p>In April, Hugh shared photos from their 1996 wedding day alongside a heartfelt tribute.</p>
<p>'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.</p>
<p>'In our 25 years - our love has only grown deeper. The fun, excitement and adventure more exhilarating; the learning even greater.’</p>
<p>In an interview with NBC's <em>Today </em>show earlier this year, he called his wife the 'most optimistic person' in his life.</p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>The couple moved from Sydney to New York with their children in 2008, where they own an apartment in the West Village.</p>
<p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>
