Nicole Kidman's mother dies

Nicole Kidman has shared the news of her mother Janelle Ann Kidman's passing.

The Australian actor was a no-show at the Venice Film Festival where she was due to accept the Best Actress award for her performance in the upcoming erotic thriller Babygirl.

Instead, the film's director, Halina Reijn, accepted the award on Kidman's behalf, sharing a statement with the audience.

"Today, I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after my brave and beautiful mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, had just passed," Kidman wrote.

"I'm in shock and I have to go to my family, but this award is for her.

"She shaped me, she guided me and she made me. I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina. The collision of life and art is heartbreaking. My heart is broken."

Her cause of death is currently unknown.

It is presumed Kidman will travel home to Sydney, Australia, where Janelle lived.

Kidman's husband, Australian musician Keith Urban, is already in Australia, having just finished a tour there.

Janelle suffered health concerns in 2016 when she was taken to a Sydney hospital after a suspected heart scare.

It came two years after her husband, Dr Antony Kidman, died of a heart attack at a Singapore restaurant in 2014.

She was 84.