Country Star Keith Urban Mourns Loss of Father

FILE - Singer Keith Urban arrives for the finale of Season 14 of "American Idol" in Los Angeles, California, May 13, 2015.

Country star Keith Urban is mourning the death of his father, Bob Urban, at the age of 73.

Urban said in a statement released late Sunday that his dad died Saturday after a "long battle'' with cancer. Urban, who started singing as a young child in Australia, said it was his father's love of country music and America that set him on his journey.

The four-time Grammy winner and "American Idol'' judge said he was touched by the outpouring of love and support for his family.