Although Hugh Jackman’s friendly rivalry with Ryan Reynolds tends to make the most headlines, it’s clear that nothing in life is more important to him than his family .
And considering that his mom suddenly left him when he was eight years old, it’s fair to say that he learned at a young age not to take those closest to him for granted.
Because while Jackman and his mother would eventually reunite and rebuild their relationship, his father Christopher remained by his side during those hard years and helped instill the values that now guide him through life today.
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And that fact has made a sad piece of news that Jackman recently broke particularly hard to hear.
On September 6, Jackman posted this photo of his father to his Instagram page and announced that he had passed away the previous morning.
As his caption stated, “In the early hours of Father’s Day (AU), my Dad peacefully passed away. And whilst there is deep sadness, I am filled with such gratitude and love. My Dad was, in a word, extraordinary. He devoted his life to his family, his work and his faith. I pray he is now at peace with God.”
Jackman considered his dad an important source of stability in his life, particularly during the years when he couldn’t see his mom.
According to Newsweek , Jackman once told 60 Minutes , “My father is a rock. My father is my rock. It’s where I learned everything about loyalty, dependability, being there day in, day out, no matter what…. It’s always about the family.”
And it also seemed that Christopher was as strong physically as he was emotionally since he was something of a boxing champion when he was in the army.
As Jackman told The Sun , “My dad is normally very quiet and it’s hard to imagine him being a bruiser. He said he was fast, but after becoming the army champion, he went up to the next level and he was knocked out in his first bout.”
But while this is a significant accomplishment, it’s not one that Jackman heard much about growing up.
And apparently, that was because his dad didn’t want to glorify fighting and never approved of the scuffles his sons would get into.
As Jackman put it, “I remember my dad wouldn’t even allow us to watch wrestling.”
But while he may be gone now, it’s clear that Christopher Jackman left his son with much to cherish.
h/t: The Sun
