Keith Urban Pays Tribute to His Father at Memorial Service
Keith Urban is closing out a devastating year with a special goodbye to his father, Robert Urban, who died from cancer on Dec. 5.
Keith mourned the loss of his father during a private funeral held at a funeral chapel in Sunshine Coast, Queensland in Australia. The Daily Telegraph reports that the country singer arrived for the ceremony in a green Lincoln Continental, which his dad loved.
WATCH: Keith Urban's Dad Robert Dies After Long Battle With Cancer
"I am so deeply grateful that Dad is not suffering anymore," said Keith, who gave a eulogy with his brother, Shane. "I loved him so much and did not want him to suffer like he was towards the end…So the release he now has gives me all the peace that I need to create this new spiritual relationship with my father."
According to the Telegraph, Keith attended the funeral sans wife Nicole Kidman and the couple's two young daughters, Sunday and Faith, as they were too grief-stricken to attend after losing Nicole's father, Dr. Anthony Kidman, in September last year, and the father of her beloved nieces and nephews, Angus Hawley, in April. Angus was the first husband to Nicole's sister, Antonia.
Keith confirmed his father's death earlier this month in a statement to ET.
WATCH: Keith Urban Reveals His Father Is Now in Hospice Care, Has 'Only Got a Few Weeks'
"I've been deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support that [wife Nicole Kidman] and I, and our family, have received since my Dad's passing on Saturday night," Urban shared. "His long battle with cancer is now over and he is finally at peace. My Dad's love of country music and America set me on my life's journey, and shaped so much of who I am today. Thank you to everyone who has kept us all in your thoughts and prayers."
Robert's death reportedly followed a decade-long battle with prostate cancer. A week prior, Keith opened up to The Tennessean, saying his new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame, titled "Keith Urban So Far…," was "bittersweet" because his father was "the catalyst for all of this."
WATCH: Keith Urban Expresses His Love for Nicole Kidman: 'I Feel Really Grateful'
"My dad is the catalyst for me living in America," Keith said.
For more on Keith's relationship with his father, watch the video below.