A professional milestone… and a personal tragedy.
Nicole Kidman announced the death of her mother Janelle on September 6, the same date on which she won Best Actress for her role in Babygirl at the Venice Film Festival.
Kidman’s mom was 84 years old.
The sad news was confirmed via a statement read on stage by Halina Rejn, who directed Kidman in the aforementioned film.
“Today, I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after, that my beautiful, brave mother Janelle Ann Kidman has just passed,” Kidman’s message said. “I am in shock and I have to go to my family.”
The statement continued,
“But this award is for her. She shaped me, she guided me and she made me. I’m beyond grateful that I 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.”
The cause of Janelle’s death is not known at this time.
Kidman’s mother, who worked as a nursing instructor, had suffered health issues in recent years.
In 2022, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Academy Award winner said that she returned to her family’s native Australia to be with her sick parent.
“We’re down here primarily to take care of my mother,” the now-57-year-old said in an NPR interview in January of that year. “And to have her surrounded by her grandchildren.”
Added Kidman back then:
“I’m at the place where I’m being given the chance to view the world—because of how close we are, my mom is giving me the chance to view the world through an 81-year-old woman’s eyes. That is so beneficial right now because she’s so cognizant.
“She has every faculty, brain faculty, available. She hasn’t lost anything. She hasn’t lost any memory, which is fascinating.”
In 2020, Kidman spoke with the Sydney Morning Herald about the influence her mom had on her life and her amazing career.
“She’s given me the fire to pursue the career I have because I’ve always wanted to please her,” Kidman told the outlet, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
“But she also carved her own path and wanted her daughters to have the same opportunity to carve their own paths…
“Mum didn’t necessarily get the career that she wanted, but she was determined that her daughters would have opportunities that were equal. That’s given me my life. And she gave me my life, she and my dad.”
We send our condolences to Nicole Kidman, her friends, family members and all who knew Janelle.
