Tim Minchin makes devastating announcement during show’s encore

One audience member commented: “Tim Minchin’s show last night was absolutely beautiful. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen.”

“The crowd, sitting in the dark and singing along to “Hallelujah”, is something I’ll remember the rest of my life,” another fan posted to X/Twitter.

Minchin frequently discussed his parents in both his comedy and his songwriting.

“Mum and Dad had high expectations of us as human beings – it wasn’t just about education,” he told the Guardian in a 2017 interview.

“It’s a fantastic way to go about parenting, and I aspire to that. Things have taken a huge change – I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t say ‘I love you’ to their children now, but my parents’ dedication and love to us was unquestionable.

“There is just a language difference, not an intent difference. I’m as strict as my parents – I have high expectations, too. I’d never ask the kids to do something outside their capabilities, but I’ll encourage them not to be lazy and to try hard.”

Since announcing the news of his mum’s death, Minchin has shared a photo of her to his Instagram page, simply captioned: “So it goes.”

In a separate post, with a photo of him facing the audience as they cheer him on, he wrote: “Thank you, Sydney, for a weekend of shows I’ll never forget.”

Minchin is scheduled to perform four nights in Hobart this week before playing Canberra in December.