Russell Crowe mourns the loss of his father in heartbreaking note

Actor Russell Crowe announced Tuesday that his- father, John Crowe, has died at the age of 85.

The Oscar winner honored his dad by penning a heartbreaking tribute, calling him "the most gentle of men."

"I arrived back in the bush last night. Today, although the sun is shining and the torrential rain has abated, this date will forever be tinged with sadness," Crowe tweeted Tuesday. "My dear old man, my beautiful dad, the most gentle of men, has passed away."

The "Gladiator" star said in a follow-up tweet, "I’m posting this because I know there are people all over the world who’s heart he touched and who’s ribs he tickled with his sparkly eyes and his cheeky attitude to everyone, and everything."

"This is probably as efficient a method as any to pass on the news," added Crowe. The 56-year-old actor revealed his father was born on March 13, 1936, in Christchurch, New Zealand and died Tuesday "in Coffs Harbour, NSW, his home for the last 25 years."

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After announcing his father's death, Crowe changed his Twitter header and icon in honor of his dad's memory.

The profile picture has been changed to a recent photo of his parents at a black tie event while the header is a serene snap of his dad enjoying some sunshine by the water.

Crowe openly spoke about how close he was with his father and explained last April that he chose to fly home and quarantine with his dad during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Isolating with the old man. 84 now. Wearing a hat I got at Princeton while shooting A Beautiful Mind," he captioned the sweet photo.