Hugh Jackman’s ‘extraordinary’ dad has died

Hugh Jackman has been left devastated after his “extraordinary” dad, Christopher Jackman, died on Father’s Day. In an Instagram post on Monday night, the Aussie actor said his father passed away peacefully in the early hours of Sunday. TMZ is reporting he was 84 at the time.

“And whilst there is deep sadness, I am filled with such gratitude and love,” Hugh wrote, alongside a sweet pic of his late dad. “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.”

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Fans of Hugh’s were quick to share their condolences, with one writing: “Bless you Hugh! Sending you all the love and prayers.”

Another added: “So sorry for your loss. Hugs to you and your family.” While a third said: “I am really sorry for your loss.”

Hugh’s mother Grace McNeil returned to her native England in the late 1970s, leaving Hugh’s dad to raise their five children alone. After the couple divorced, Jackman’s two sisters went to live with their mum in the UK, while Jackman and his two brothers stayed in Sydney with their father.

Back in January 2018, Jackman told Australia’s Who magazine that his mother abandoning him as a child without even saying goodby was “traumatic”. “I thought she was probably going to come back,” Jackman said to Who magazine. “And then it sort of dragged on and on.” The Greatest Showman star added that after his mother left the family, he saw her about “once a year”, but it wasn’t until he was 12 or 13 that it dawned on him his mother would never return.

In December 2012, Jackman told Australia’s 60 Minutes program that he still vividly remembered the morning his mum left. “I remember her being in a towel … and saying goodbye. [It] must have been the way she said goodbye,” he said. “When I came back [from school] there was no one there in the house. 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.”