Ryan Seacrest shared the details of his touching final moments with his dad, Gary Seacrest, before he passed away. The “American Idol” host shared his father’s final words as his family gathered by his bedside.
Ryan Seacrest Shares His Dad’s Final Words
During the October 31 episode of “On Air With Ryan Seacrest,” the host was understandably emotional as he shared the details of his final moments with his beloved father.
“Earlier this week, I lost my dad, Gary Seacrest, to cancer,” he said. “I was by his bedside over the last several days. I was by his bedside as he left us.”
He shared, “When you lose someone that close, you cannot describe what you feel. And you just don’t know what to do.”
Seacrest recalled what his father said in his final moments. “He weakly mumbled that he loved us … I can see his mouth slowly moving to the words, ‘I love this family,'” he shared.
“As he said, without much strength or energy, that he loved us and that he was going to miss us, he looked over at me — and the power in the contact of eyes … and he said, ‘Take care of your mom,'” the host said.
Seacrest continued, “He said to my sister, to Jimmy, ‘Take care of Flora, my granddaughter.’ And then literally a few seconds later, he closed his eyes and he said, ‘I’ve got to go.’ He knew. He was at peace.”
“He said everything he wanted say to us,” Seacrest added.
Seacrest remembered his dad fondly as “a champion of family dinners. He always wanted us to have dinner together so we could talk.”
The host called his father “an amazing man,” adding, “He was my best friend.”
“He was so proud of his marriage and his love of my mom, of fifty-six years. He was proud of my sister, who was proud of her family. He was proud of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. This is something that we did together and he actually ran it for so many years, almost two decades,” Seacrest added.
Seacrest Called Gary His ‘Best Friend’
The “American Idol” host also paid tribute to his father with an Instagram post that revealed the sad news.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that my loving father peacefully passed away earlier this week,” Seacrest wrote. “My mom, sister and I have peace knowing he is in a better place and free of any pain or suffering. We are heartbroken.”
The “Idol” host continued, “He was a devoted husband for 56 years, an incredible Papa to Flora, and my best friend.”
“Dad you will live in our hearts forever,” Seacrest added. “I love you.”
I have a list of people who have passed away, that is a prayer list for them and their family I will put his name on it.