Keith Urban Opens Up About Father-In-Law’s Death

Singer Keith Urban found the death of his father-in-law to have a devastating and "huge" impact on his and his family's life.

Dr. Anthony Kidman, Nicole Kidman’s father and Keith Urban‘s father-in-law, died suddenly in September while visiting another daughter in Singapore.

Urban says life without him is hard, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“The loss of Nic’s (Kidman) dad was huge. I can’t even describe what that moment was like for our family. I was very, very close to Nic’s dad,” he said speaking on a conference call.

Anthony’s death meant Urban missed shooting American Idol auditions in New York, and he says he was grateful to have such “amazing” support from both the staff on the show and his fans.

“Adam Lambert stepped up and filled in for me. It was an amazing thing to see that support. I am very grateful, and I don’t take those things for granted. You would think people would have a heart,” he said.


photo: Frederick Breedon/WireImage

Urban credits his sobriety with helping him maintain his healthy perspective on life and family and coping with his father-in-law’s death.

“Look, eight years of sobriety, as well, has an impact on the way I feel in the world that I didn’t use to,” he said. “That’s had an incredible effect on my life, as well. It’s all just very fleeting. You lose a family member, and you’re reminded of the brevity of life and the fragility of it and how it can go very, very quickly.”

“I don’t want to miss any of it. None of it. I don’t want to miss any time with Nic or our family,” Urban said. “I don’t want to feel like I missed any musical things — songs I could’ve written and all that sort of stuff.”