{"id":109093,"date":"2025-11-01T04:07:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T04:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/109093\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T04:07:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T04:07:10","slug":"ryan-seacrest-announces-his-father-has-died-in-heartbreaking-tribute-my-best-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/109093\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryan Seacrest announces his father has died in heartbreaking tribute: \u2018My best friend\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ryan Seacrest<\/a> has announced the death of his father, Gary Lee Seacrest, at the age of 79.<\/p>\n

The 50-year-old TV host<\/a> shared an emotional tribute to his dad on Instagram Friday, along with a series of sweet photos of the two of them with their family. His death comes after Ryan revealed in July, during an episode of his KIIS-FM On Air radio show, that Gary was diagnosed with prostate cancer<\/a> years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is with a heavy heart that I share with you that my loving father peacefully passed away earlier this week,\u201d Ryan wrote in the caption of his Instagram post. \u201cMy mom, sister and I have peace knowing he is in a better place and free of any pain or suffering. We are heartbroken,\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a devoted husband for 56 years, an incredible Papa to Flora, and my best friend,\u201d he continued. \u201cDad you will live in our hearts forever. I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

During Friday\u2019s epsidoe of his podcast, On Air with Ryan Seacret<\/a>, Ryan reflected on his and his family\u2019s final moments with Gary, noting that his father had \u201cbeen sick for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ryan<\/p>\n

Ryan Seacrest says he\u2019s \u2018heartbroken\u2019 as he announces his father\u2019s death (ryanseacrest \/ Instagram)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s so vivid in my mind … but as he said without much strength or energy that he loved us and that he was going to miss us,\u201d Ryan explained. \u201cHe looked over at me, and the power in the contact, he said, ‘Take care of your mom.’ And he said to my sister [Meredith], [and to her husband] Jimmy, ‘Take care of Flora my granddaughter.’<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then literally a few seconds later he closed his eyes and said, ‘\u2019\u2019ve got to go.,\u2019\u201d Ryan added. \u201cHe knew. He was at peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2021, the American Idol host shared a post on Instagram <\/a>about his father \u201cbattling cancer for several years,\u201d but said the cancer was \u201cno longer detectable\u201d at the time. However, in July of this year, Ryan shared that his father had prostate cancer, which was a diagnosis he kept \u201cvery private\u201d for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t get better. It got worse and it spread. It didn\u2019t go well for him,\u201d he said during the previous episode of his On Air show.<\/p>\n

He said he decided to go public with the diagnosis because his father contracted pneumonia earlier this year, while Ryan still on was still filming the recent season of American Idol.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was on an American Idol show live during last season and my sister called me and she said, \u2018Dad is in the ICU. How fast can you get here?\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI finished the show. We were almost done. I couldn\u2019t, I couldn\u2019t even, I didn\u2019t even remember what I was saying was on the show. It was like robotic at that point,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Ryan added that after his father had been in the ICU for a few weeks, he wanted to make sure he was there for his mother, who was in remission from cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI needed her to take a break,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re a kid, no one tells you how to handle this with your parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gary is also survived by Ryan\u2019s sister, Meredith and her six-year-old daughter, Flora Leach.<\/p>\n