Comedian Tim Minchin shocked the crowd at his Sydney show by sharing that his mother had died just hours before.
On Friday night, the entertainer told a shocked audience: “My mum died yesterday.”
The 48-year-old British-born Australian star had been sharing several stories about his mother Ros throughout the night and had played a number of songs written about her before he opened up to the crowd.
He did not confirm what his mother had died of, but had shared that his mother had been diagnosed with a terminal illness in 2020.
According to the Mail Online, Minchin became slightly emotional when singing his song, White Wine in the Sun.
The lyrics include: “I'll be seeing my dad, my brother and sisters, my gran and my mum … they'll be drinking white wine in the sun.”
Minchin finished off the performance with an emotional rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah - which he asked the audience to help him sing.
The star - who composed Matilda the Musical on the West End - received a standing ovation for this performance.
Many audience members praise Minchin, who is also behind Groundhog Day the Musical - for performing despite the sad circumstances.
One fan wrote: “Thank you for (another) great show and being able to do the show after the week you and your family have been through. The last song was a beautiful way to end the show.”
“It was one of the most incredible performances ever,” another added.
One commenter wrote online: “'Fifth time seeing Tim Minchin tonight. Absolutely incredible show without question his best! Very emotional ending to the night.”
Another fan wrote: “Thank you for tonight's show and the very emotional ending. Condolences and much love to you and your family.”
Minchin was born in Northampton, UK, to Australian parents who moved back down under when he was a child. He started playing the piano aged 8 and made his break into musical comedy in 2005 with his show Darkside.
