The world was left reeling on Monday after the US experienced its most deadly mass shooting ever at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And now, country music star Keith Urban, 49, has spoken out about the moment he broke the news of the massacre to his eldest daughter Sunday Rose.
After performing a cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water at a candlelight vigil in Nashville, Tennessee, in the hours after the shooting, Keith shared a personal story.
‘I said, ‘Yeah, a lot of people (were) killed last night”: Keith Urban, 49, has spoken out about the moment he broke the news of the Las Vegas massacre to his eldest daughter Sunday Rose
‘I started this morning by finding out about it and being shell-shocked all morning, getting my kids ready for school.’
‘My nine-year-old, as I was driving her to school this morning, said to me, ‘Dad, you seem quiet.’
‘I said, ‘Yeah, a lot of people (were) killed last night.’ She said, ‘Did you know any of them?’ and I said, ‘Not that I know of.’
Keith Urban and wife Nicole Kidman share two daughters, Faith Margaret, six, and Sunday Rose, nine
Attire: Keith dressed casually, sporting a black T-shirt, jeans and a denim jacket
‘Then she said, ‘Then why are you so sad?’ I said, ‘First of all, these were innocent people horrifically taken, and secondly, they’re like family.’
He went on: ‘It’s the one thing about country music that’s always been the centre of it — it is community. So I did know those people, in that way.
‘I feel very grateful for this moment tonight to be able to put some light in the world,’ he concluded.
Lyrics: The husband of Australian actress Nicole Kidman put on a heartfelt performance, belting out the lyrics to Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water
Dressed casually in a black T-shirt, jeans and a denim jacket, Keith looked extremely emotional during the heartfelt performance and speech.
The performance came shortly after Keith took to Twitter, revealing that he is ‘stilled and speechless’ by the horrific turn of events.
The country music star posted to the social media platform: ‘Stilled and speechless…Our hearts and prayers are with everyone involved and affected. – KU.’
Emotional: Understandably throughout the performance, Keith looked emotional
Can’t fathom it: The performance comes shortly after Keith took to Twitter, revealing that he is ‘stilled and speechless’ by the horrific turn of events
Online: The country music star posted to the social media platform: ‘Stilled and speechless…Our hearts and prayers are with everyone involved and affected. – KU’
According to police, the shooter was 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock, who fired the shots from a room on the 32nd floor at the Mandalay Bay Hotel that he had checked into.
The festival that was headlining acts such as Sam Hunt, Jason Aldean and Eric Church was taking place across the street.
Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo revealed that Stephen was found dead inside his room, among an ‘arsenal’ of 10 firearms.
Horrific: Residents of the Nashville community woke up on Monday to hear that a deadly mass shooting took place at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. Sunday October 1 on the popular Las Vegas strip saw 59 dead and at least 527 injured
Turn of events: According to police, the shooter was 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock, who fired the shots from a room on the 32nd floor at the Mandalay Bay Hotel that he had checked into