Uma Thurman's father, Robert Thurman, has died aged 84.
The renowned Buddhist scholar passed away on June 16, 2026, in Woodstock, New York. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Robert's death was announced by Tibet House US, a nonprofit organization working to preserve Tibetan Culture, which he, his wife Nena Thurman, Richard Gere, and Philip Glass co-founded in 1986.
"We are deeply saddened to announce that Robert A.F. 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," the organization posted to Instagram.
The statement noted that the "Thurman family requests privacy at this time."
Robert was born in New York City to stage actress Elizabeth Dean and UN translator Beverly Reid Thurman.
© WireImageInspired by his family, Robert attended Harvard for his undergraduate and graduate studies. In 1972, he completed his Ph.D. in Sanskrit.
In 1960, Robert married Marie-Christophe de Menil, the heiress to the Schlumberger Limited oil fortune. The couple welcomed daughter Taya Thurman in 1961, the same year they divorced.
Robert married his second wife, Nena, in 1967 after meeting at Millbrook, a New York estate given to Nena's ex-husband, Timothy Leary. At the time of their meeting, Nena was about to sign divorce papers.
© Getty Images"Life is full of serendipitous happenings," Nena told The New York Times about their meeting. "It's like a skateboard is hovering just outside your door. You can close the door, or you can jump on and take the ride."
The same year they wed, the couple welcomed their first child together, Ganden, now 58. In 1970, Nena gave birth to Uma, now 56, with their sons Dechen, now 53, and Mipam, now 48, arriving in 1973 and 1978, respectively. Nena and Robert raised their children in Woodstock, in a house they built themselves.
© Getty ImagesIn 1961, Robert lost his left eye during a car accident, which inspired him to live his life completely differently. He divorced his first wife and traveled for five years in Turkey, Iran, and India.
During his travels, Robert's dad passed away. While home for the funeral, he met with a Buddhist monk from Mongolia and soon after became a Buddhist.
Robert traveled back to India and studied with Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. In 1965, he became the first American Buddhist monk of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, as well as a close friend of the Dalai Lama.
© Getty ImagesIn 1967, he renounced his monk status, which required celibacy, so that he could marry Nena.
While he was no longer a monk, Robert was still deeply tied to Buddhism and wrote many books on the subject.
He also served as the Jey Tsong Khapa Chair in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University for 30 years until his retirement in June 2019.
© Getty ImagesDiscussing her upbringing, Uma previously told the Irish Examiner: "There's been a lot written about my upbringing, making it sound as if it were some hippie-dippy childhood, but that's totally absurd.
"There's an assumption that because someone is a Buddhist, they are a leftie loose cannon, unusually weird, and that's complete baloney! I was brought up in academic housing, I went to school, my father was a professor. It was all extremely normal."
