Jude Law's mother died just after he found out that he was to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The 51-year-old actor had to push back his unveiling ceremony on the LA tourist spot because his mom Maggie had passed away but noted that the honour served as a "final gift" from her amid his grief.

He told People: "It's been actually quite a long process because I found out and was originally going to have the service a couple of weeks back. And actually, I lost my mom. So we had to delay it.

"But in a very odd way as a kind of final gift, it meant that a few more of my family could actually be here. So honestly, the whole event has been quite an emotional experience, and obviously just a very personal occasion and really touching."

But 'The Order' star - who has Rafferty, Rudy, 22, and Iris , 24, with ex-wife Sadie Frost, Sophia, 15, with ex Samantha Burke, Ada, nine, with Catherine Harding as well as two young children with his current wife Phillipa Coan - noted that his family were a great deal of support amid the whole event,

He said: "They were just lovely. I mean, they're always so supportive and loving. We are very lucky to have each other, but they're my backbone."

The 'Fantastic Beasts' actor did not address the passing of his mother directly in his speech at the ceremony, but did reveal that his parents instilled in him a passion for film.

He said: "I had a mother who showed me the great silent movies and comedies and musicals and dramas of the Hollywood Golden Era, American new wave [and] foreign movies. And I had a dad who took me in the '70s and '80s to blockbuster movies where we ate our bodyweight in popcorn and chocolate."