Tim Minchin shares heartbreaking family news while on stage

Virgin Radio

13 Nov 2023, 14:45

Comedian Tim Minchin left a Sydney crowd in shock after revealing his mother Ros had passed away the day before taking to the stage. 

The Matilda The Musical composer was on stage on Friday (10th November) when he told the audience: “My mother died yesterday,” according to the MailOnline. 

While he didn’t confirm what had happened to his mum, Tim had opened up about Ros being diagnosed with blood cancer back in 2020. 

Tim used the show to share several stories about his mother and played a number of songs that he’d written about her, including White Wine in the Sun. It includes the lyric: “I'll be seeing my dad, my brother and sisters, my gran and my mum … they'll be drinking white wine in the sun.” 

He then received a standing ovation at the end of the show, where he asked the audience to help him sing the final song of the night, Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. 

Members of the audience took to social media to praise Tim for his extraordinary strength and for continuing with his show, with one crowd member writing on X: “Still feeling deeply emotional after @timminchin in #Sydney tonight.  Amazing music of course. The crowd, sitting in the dark and singing along to "Hallelujah", is something I'll remember the rest of my life. #liveinthemoment.” 

Another commented: “Thank you @timminchin for tonight’s show and the very emotional ending. Condolences and much love to you and your family.”

A third said: “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.”

Tim later shared a tribute to mum Ros on his Instagram page, uploading a smiling photo to his account with the caption: “So it goes.”

The thoughts of everyone at Virgin Radio go out to Tim and his family.