Nicole Kidman has spoken out about her mother’s tragic death for the first time in a week after she departed the Venice Film Festival to be with her family in Sydney.
The 57-year-old posted a loving tribute to her late mother, Janelle, via Instagram today, thanking everyone for their heartfelt support.
“My sister and I along with our family want to thank you for the outpouring of love and kindness we have felt this week,” she wrote in the caption.
“Every message we have received from those who loved and admired our Mother has meant more to us than we will ever be able to express.”
“Thank you from our whole family for respecting our privacy as we take care of each other”, she finished.
The Big Little Lies actress included three photos of her beloved mom; the first was a throwback to Janelle’s youth, where she looked like Nicole’s twin. The second and third featured Janelle with her two daughters, including Nicole’s sister, Antonia.
Stars and fans alike flooded her comments to send their condolences to the Aussie native.
Nicole’s best friend and Mulholland Drive actress Naomi Watts wrote, “Sending so much love to you both. So sorry for your loss. Your wonderfully spirited mum will be missed by so many. Hopefully she is now peacefully reunited with your papa xxx love you.”
Michelle Pfeiffer commented, “I am so sorry for your loss Nicole. Sending blessings to you and your family”, while Blake Lively’s sister Robyn wrote “Oh Nicole I am so deeply saddened by this. My heart and prayers are with you and your family. I can’t even imagine…”
© InstagramRocker Lenny Kravitz also sent his love, sweetly commenting, “My deepest condolences to you and the family. I am blessed to have been in her presence. Rest in power”.
Nicole first broke the news at the Venice Film Festival when she was awarded Best Actress for her new film, Babygirl. The mother of four was unable to accept as she needed to be with her family in Sydney, so the film’s director, Halina Reijn, accepted on her behalf and read a statement written by the actress.
It read, “Today I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after that my beautiful, brave mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, has just passed.”
© Instagram“I am in shock, and I have to go to my family, but this award is for her. She shaped me, she guided me, and she made me.”
“I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina. The collision of life and art is heartbreaking, and my heart is broken.”
Nicole was extremely close with both her parents; tragically, her father died of a heart attack in September 2014. She spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald in 2020 about her complex relationship with loss and grief.
© Peter Carrette Archive“I’ve been given death as a very sudden thing,“ she said. “I’ve not nursed someone through a slow death, I’ve just had people taken.“
“Stanley [Kubrick, who directed her in Eyes Wide Shut], my friend Robert McCann [in 2005], my father [in 2014] and my brother-in-law [Angus Hawley, in 2015]…we’ve just had people that one minute are here, and then gone,“ she candidly shared.
“I’ve now had it happen repeatedly, I almost get scared saying it because I get terrified it’s going to happen again. I still have a lot of fear of that.”