Nicole Kidman reveals mother Janelle’s death in speech at Venice Film Festival

Nicole Kidman was a last minute no-show to accept the Best Actress award in Venice, with the film’s director sharing her heartbreaking news with the audience.

Nicole Kidman has announced the death of her beloved mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, at 84.

The Australian actress, 57, landed in Venice, Italy on Saturday to attend the city’s 81st Film Festival that evening, where she was awarded Best Actress for her performance in the upcoming erotic thriller Babygirl.

The film’s director Halina Reijn accepted the award on Kidman’s behalf, before sharing a statement from the actress with the crowd.

“Today, I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after my brave and beautiful mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, had just passed,” Kidman wrote.

Babygirl director Halina Reijn accepts the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for Nicole Kidman. Picture: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

“I’m 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. My heart is broken.”

Nicole with her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images for AFI

The mother-daughter duo have always shared a close bond. Picture: Carlo Allegri/Getty Images

Her cause of death is currently unknown.

It is likely Kidman will travel home to Sydney, Australia, where Janelle lived.

Kidman’s husband, Australian musician Keith Urban, is currently in Australia, having just wrapped an intimate tour.

Janelle suffered health concerns in 2016 when she was taken to a Sydney hospital after a suspected heart scare.

It came just two years after her husband, Dr Antony Kidman, died of a heart attack inside a Singapore restaurant in 2014.

In January 2022, the Oscar winning actress opened up about prioritising time with her mother following the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, where they didn’t see each other for eight months during 2020.

Kidman and Urban are primarily based in Nashville, Tennessee, with their two daughters, though they also own homes in Manhattan and Australia.

Nicole previously opened up about prioritising time to spend with her mother. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

In an interview on the Fresh Air podcast at the time, Kidman commented how the Omicron variant of Covid was “running wild in Australia.”

“[And] we’re down here primarily to take care of my mother and to have her surrounded by her grandchildren,” Kidman said.

“I’m at the place where I’m being given the chance to view the world, because of how close we are, my mum is giving me the chance to view the world through an 81-year-old woman’s eyes,” she continued.

“That is so beneficial right now, because she’s so cognisant. She has every brain faculty available, so she hasn’t lost anything. She hasn’t lost any memory, which is fascinating, and she’s extremely bright.

“She’s giving me access, because she’s also very direct and very honest, and so I’m getting access to the world through her eyes, my mother’s eyes.”