Fans have sent Hollywod star Hugh Jackman support and love after he announced that his father, Christopher John Jackman, had passed away.
In a heartbreaking post shared to Instagram on Monday, the Australian actor, 56, revealed the news about his beloved dad.
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. He devoted his life to his family, his work and his faith. I pray he is now at peace with God."
Christopher was an 84-year-old, British-born, Cambridge-educated accountant.
Jackman, 52, was just eight years old when his mother, Grace McNeil, left her family in Australia and returned to the UK.
The Greatest Showman star once described Grace's sudden departure as "traumatic."
Hugh told Australia's Who magazine in January 2018 that his mother left him without even saying goodbye.
As she returned to her native England in the late '70s, her husband, Christopher Jackman, raised Hugh and his brothers and sisters alone.
After Hugh's dad divorced his mother, 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 estrangement from his mom. "I thought she was probably going to come back. And then it sort of dragged on and on."
After his mother left the family, he saw her about "once a year."
It wasn't until he was "12 or 13" that it dawned on him his mother would never return.
In December 2012, Hugh told Australia's 60 Minutes program that he still remembers the day his mom 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.
"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."
Social media users were devastated for Jackman, but also praised his late father for how he raised his son.
"How very sad. Sending a big hug and lots of love to Hugh. I lost my dad late last year and it hurts every day. I think your dad would be proud of the man/husband/father you are Hugh and I feel that is the greatest honour we can provide to our parents," one fan wrote online.
"Hugh Jackman, one of the ultimate good guys. His Dad must was a selfless and generous man to raise such an icon. Rip Sir," a second added.
"This news has made me so sad! I know what a wonderful father he was and how he was the reason Hugh grew into the gentleman that he his. My sincere condolences to Hugh and his family," a third commented.