Uma Thurman's father Robert Thurman dies

Author Robert Thurman, father of actress Uma Thurman, has died at the age of 84.

On Tuesday, officials from Tibet House US announced that the Buddhist academic had passed away in Woodstock, New York. A cause of death wasn't disclosed.

"We are deeply saddened to announce that Robert A.F. Thurman @bob__thurman, prominent American Buddhist scholar, co-founder of Tibet House US, author and translator whose teachings shaped countless lives, died Tuesday morning, June 16, in Woodstock, New York," they wrote, adding the mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum", meaning "the jewel is in the lotus".

A representative noted that the Thurman family "requests privacy at this time".

Uma has not yet publicly commented on the sad news.

Born in New York City in 1941, Robert obtained a B.A. from Harvard University in 1962 and went on to study Sanskrit.

Following travels to Turkey, Iran and India in the '60s, he was ordained by the Dalai Lama in 1965 - making him the first American Buddhist monk of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Robert wrote many books on the topic and served as the Jey Tsong Khapa Chair in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University for 30 years until he retired in June 2019.

The academic also co-founded the nonprofit organisation Tibet House US, along with his wife Nena Thurman, Richard Gere, and Philip Glass, in 1986.

Robert was married to Marie-Christophe de Menil from 1960 until they divorced the following year. The former couple shared daughter, Taya Thurman.

Robert and Nena von Schlebrügge wed in 1967 and later welcomed four children, Ganden, 58, Uma, 56, Dechen, 53, and Mipam, 48.

Their grandchildren include artist Dash Snow and actress Maya Hawke.