Community Chat

[minkbunny]

Sweet photo. I am glad she has him by her side.

Nicole Kidman delivered an emotional eulogy remembering her late father Antony on Friday, Sept. 19, at his funeral in Sydney, Australia.

Kidman, 47, recalled distinct moments in life when her father's presence was most comforting, including her painful 2001 divorce from ex-husband Tom Cruise. The Oscar-winning actress -- affectionately referred to as "Niccy" by her father -- remembered when Antony got "on a plane hours after I got divorced."

Kidman and Cruise were married from 1990 to 2001, and in the years following their split, the actress has opened up about her emotional struggle. She told Marie Claire in 2011, "I was really damaged and not sure whether [love and marriage] was ever going to happen again to me."

Australian actress told funeral-goers on Friday the advice her father gave her during that tumultuous time period. Antony said, "'Nic, it’s going to be okay. It isn't what it could've been, it isn't what it should have been, it is what it is.'"

Kidman said she would also buy her father expensive shirts, but labels meant nothing to the late clinical psychologist. "He is the reason I can’t walk past someone on the street with their hands out without giving," Kidman told her fellow grievers.

She revealed that her final face-to-face moment with her dad was during his visit to New York three weeks before his death. One night, Kidman came home and discovered that he had eaten all of the pizza they were going to share for dinner.

"I am so grateful he came to New York," she said of her dad's last visit. "And I'm so glad he ate all that pizza."

Dr. Antony Kidman died unexpectedly on Friday, Sept. 12, after collapsing in a Singapore hotel during a trip to see his youngest daughter Antonia. An insider close to Nicole told Us Weekly that the actress was "beside herself" and "beyond devastated" after learning of his death. "Keith [Urban] vowed to be with her as long as he needs to during this horrible time and he is supporting his wife to the fullest," the source added.

[deepwaterdotter]

"Everybody hurts, Everybody cries,

Everybody hurts sometimes." - REM

[151949]

I think that a person's private moment of grief should not be plastered all over the internet.It is morally wrong to not allow anyone - no matter how famous they are - reasonable peace and solitude.

[croemer]

Yes...we are all human and losing a parent...the one who took care of you, supported you and loved you beyond anyone else...is now gone...so suddenly too.

[jubilant]

She looks so broken. I have lost people I love but not a parent. I realize every day how fortunate I am to still have them both. I don't know how you prepare for it...I will never be ready to let them go unless, of course, I see it is best for them. She probably expected to have him a lot longer. He was not very old. I edited this to add that my mom used to say, "death is no respecter of persons"......like you said, minkbunny.

[Witchy Woman]

I've now lost both parents and with each one I felt my anchor to the earth had been pulled up.

I remember thinking, "the people who knew me as a baby are gone now." It was an odd thought, but somehow important to me.

Even though our relationships were sometimes conflicted, it was many years before I could think of them and not break down sobbing.

[ivanatrump]

Google her father and see why he was no longer in Australia.

[minkbunny]

For purposes of this thread, it would not matter why he made the trip to Singapore.

She loved her father and I was happy that she had the support of her husband in her time of need. I thought the picture said a lot, unlike the staged photos often seen of celebrity couples.

[kittymomNC]

On 9/19/2014 jubilant said:

She looks so broken. I have lost people I love but not a parent. I realize every day how fortunate I am to still have them both. I don't know how you prepare for it...I will never be ready to let them go unless, of course, I see it is best for them. She probably expected to have him a lot longer. He was not very old. I edited this to add that my mom used to say, "death is no respecter of persons"......like you said, minkbunny.

You can't prepare for it...no matter when or how it happens, it can be devastating. My dad died suddenly, my mom after 5 months with cancer, both way too young. And even though I tried to prepare and knew it was coming, my mom's death was even worse because of what she had to endure during those 5 months.

[Dell1]

On 9/19/2014 Witchy Woman said:

I've now lost both parents and with each one I felt my anchor to the earth had been pulled up.

I remember thinking, "the people who knew me as a baby are gone now." It was an odd thought, but somehow important to me.

Even though our relationships were sometimes conflicted, it was many years before I could think of them and not break down sobbing.

Oh Witchy Woman, I can so relate to what you wrote.

After my Mother died I said to myself the baton has been passed on to me to be the rock for my children and not need to call my Mother anymore. I thought do I have the answers like she did? Can I help the children feel calm about their concerns and worries when I didn't feel calm myself? But that is what Mothers and parents do. We muster up all of the wisdom and energy we can for our children and we carry on for their sake.

I miss her. Sometimes I so want to pick up the phone and call her. She would always let me know I could tackle any problem and that I would do a great job.