AceShowbiz -

Keith Urban is mourning the death of his father Robert Urban. In a statement obtained by E! News, the 48-year-old country singer explained that his father passed away on Saturday night, December 5 after a long battle with cancer.

"I've been deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support that [Nicole Kidman] and I, and our family, have received since my Dad's passing on Saturday night," Keith said in the statement. "His long battle with cancer is now over and he is finally at peace."

In the statement, Keith also explained how his father contributed to his career. "My Dad's love of country music and America set me on my life's journey, and shaped so much of who I am today," he said, adding, "Thank you to everyone who has kept us all in your thoughts and prayers."

Robert's death came less than a week after Keith revealed at the Country Music Hall of Fame that his dad entered a hospice. "He's probably only got a few weeks, if that," the country singer said at that time. "This has all come at a very strange time where it's typical of a career that has extreme highs and extreme lows all often at the exact same time. So [the exhibit] is bittersweet a little bit because [my dad] is the catalyst for all of this. My dad is the catalyst for me living in America."