Keith Urban Profoundly Explains Vegas Shooting to 9-Year-Old Daughter

When Keith Urban took his daughter to school on Monday morning, he wasn’t sure how he would explain to his little girl what was happening on the news.

Although she may just be a young child, Sunday Rose picked up on the fact that her famous father seemed rather quiet as they went about their daily routine. Questioning Urban about his odd silence, the country singer couldn’t even gather his thoughts to try and explain the tragedy to a grade school girl.

Urban, though, reasoned with his daughter that through the special connection that country music creates, he felt like he was grieving over family members rather than random strangers he never personally connected with. Telling Sunday Rose that it’s more than just fans passing away, he emotionally bonded with the victims due to their love of the music he creates for a living.

“My 9-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.’ 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.’ It’s the one thing about country music that’s always been the center of it — it is community. So I did know those people, in that way,” Urban told the crowd.

Urban then left the vigil crowd in tears as he performed an emotional acoustic version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” with great passion and grief echoing in his voice.

The Nashville vigil also brought celebrity guests such as Vince Gill, Amy Grant and Alison Krauss to mourn the horrific event that occurred over the weekend in Las Vegas, where 59 people lost their lives and more than 500 others were injured.

The vigil raised awareness for citizens to give back and help out the victims of the Vegas shooting by donating to the Music City Cares Fund through the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. More information can be found on the organization’s official website.