Keith Urban, a Nashville hitmaker with 18 Hot Country number ones, four GRAMMY Awards, and over 20 million album sales, seems to have it all. As a TV personality, he’s judged major talent shows, and as a family man, he shares two children with Hollywood star Nicole Kidman.
However, Urban’s journey has been far from easy. The New Zealand-born, Australian-raised, and American-residing star has faced addiction issues, the loss of loved ones, health battles, and even witnessed his childhood home burn down.
In 2015, Urban revealed that his father, Robert “Bob” Urban, who inspired his love for country music, was in hospice care due to cancer. Sadly, a week later, his father passed away. Urban expressed gratitude for the support, saying, “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.”
This loss came just over a year after the sudden death of his father-in-law, Dr. Antony Kidman, who died from a fall in Singapore. Urban canceled a charity performance upon hearing the news. Nicole Kidman later praised her husband for his support during this tough time, saying, “I’m incredibly fortunate that I’ve managed to find an extraordinary man.
Keith Urban’s Turbulent Upbringing: An Alcoholic and Abusive Father
Keith Urban’s own struggles with alcohol have been well-documented, but in 2016, the “Once in a Lifetime” singer revealed to Rolling Stone that his father also battled alcoholism.
When asked if there was anything he wished he could have changed about his early life, Urban shared, “I’d like to have been raised in a much more intimate house. My dad was an alcoholic, and I grew up in an alcoholic’s house. No intimacy.”
Urban’s father, Robert, was not only an alcoholic but also a strict disciplinarian. This often resulted in physical beatings for Urban and his brother. Reflecting on his past, Urban told Rolling Stone, “Ten years ago, I would have said, ‘He never did anything I didn’t deserve.’ Now I realize it’s not about deserving it.”
Additionally, Urban described his father’s emotional distance. “I don’t recall him ever telling me he loved me as a kid. I’d do a gig I thought was fantastic, and the only thing he’d say is, ‘When you speak onstage, you’ve got to slow down.’ He never commented on anything else.”
Keith Urban’s Battle with Cocaine Addiction and Depression
In 1998, Keith Urban first entered rehab after realizing his rock and roll lifestyle had spiraled out of control due to cocaine addiction. The “Making Memories of Us” singer checked himself into the Cumberland Heights facility in Nashville.
Recalling that time to USA Weekend, Urban said, “I had this house in Nashville where I used to do drugs. It was a really cheap, rundown place. I remember one night crawling around on my hands and knees, looking for these little rocks at five in the morning, and I was drenched in sweat. It was the worst.”
Urban’s wild partying began while touring with his band The Ranch. He told Rolling Stone, “I liked to get crazy after the gig, and when I would do lots of drugs was when I was home off the road. If we were home for five days, I’d be messed up most of the time, then I would sort of get it together, fall into the van, sleep to whatever, Wichita, Kansas, then I would sort of come to, and then we would play the show that night.”
In his 2016 Rolling Stone interview, Urban reflected on the emotional toll of his addiction. The “Tonight I Wanna Cry” singer revealed that his depression was so severe at one point he believed his end was near.
Keith Urban’s Motorcycle Accident
In 2020, Keith Urban experienced the perils of fame when he was chased by a paparazzi photographer on his way to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting near Nicole Kidman’s home in Sydney. Attempting to shake off the photographer, the “Little Bit of Everything” singer, who was on a motorcycle, ended up in an accident.
Urban released a statement through his publicist Paul Freundlich (via People) to clarify the situation: “Some have already attempted to inflate the facts, but the reality is this: While out riding to an AA meeting, a time when my privacy is especially important to me, I felt myself being pursued. I sped up, and, in an effort to elude an oncoming car which was making an illegal u-turn, saw no choice but to drop my bike.”
In an unexpected twist, Urban revealed that the photographer who caused the incident actually helped him afterward and refrained from taking any photos. Fortunately, Urban was unhurt and able to continue to his AA meeting.
Keith Urban’s Childhood Dreams Shattered on TV
Keith Urban’s career came full circle in 2011 when he became a coach on the inaugural season of “The Voice.” However, his early experiences on TV talent shows were far from glamorous. As a youngster, Urban auditioned for two separate shows, only to face harsh critiques from the judges.
At 11, Urban appeared on “Pot of Gold” with a cover of “Applejack.” The judge, Bernard King, brutally criticized him, saying, “I desperately encourage you to escape the mediocrity, get out of country and western music, and get into some real music, otherwise you’ll end up sounding like Dolly Parton and absolutely useless.”
Keith Urban’s Longtime Tour Manager Died in a Fatal Fall
In 2021, Keith Urban was set to perform at the Bash on the Bay festival at Ohio’s Lake Erie. Tragically, a day before the event, his longtime tour production manager, Randy “Baja” Fletcher, died in a fatal fall while overseeing preparations.
Fletcher had an illustrious career, working with Randy Travis, ZZ Top, and Waylon Jennings before joining Urban in 2011. In a statement to Billboard, Urban reflected on Fletcher’s zest for life, saying, “He saw the commonality in all of us and I can promise you this, once you’d been in the orbit of his light, he’d stay with you forever. Baja’s view was ‘What a beautiful glass.’ I loved him. We all loved him, and I’m grateful he chose us as his road family for 10 years.”
In 2017, Fletcher received the inaugural Touring Lifetime Achievement Award from the Country Music Association for his decades of service to the industry, which included a brief interruption for a tour of duty in Vietnam.
