Fans and friends are rallying around beloved Hallmark star Tyler Hynes as he mourns the loss of his dad, Tony Hynes. On May 11, 2026 — which would have been his dad’s 70th birthday — Hynes posted a moving video tribute on Instagram and revealed that his dad died on April 29.
In the caption, Hynes wrote that on that morning, “I was left with a boundless amount of love and admiration for a man who gave me an endless amount of what made him, him that has inevitably made me, me. I now have an understanding of what all this is. I understand now that I wasn’t left at all.”
Tyler Hynes Says His Dad Will Live On ‘Forever’ Through Him & His Loved Ones
Hynes, who turned 40 on May 6, continued in the caption of his video, “Tony Hynes … May 11th 1956 – forever, through me and the ones I’ll one day leave behind.”
“For me, there is before this moment and after,” he concluded. “I love you. And will always miss you dad.”
The touching video Hynes shared featured throwback footage of him giggling as a kid on the beach, catching and throwing a football with his dad, who could be heard in the background as he filmed. He interspersed sweet pics of his dad that he’d also posted the day before in a tribute to his mom for Mother’s Day, as well as footage of his parents with him at the 2024 premiere of his movie, “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.”
The video ended with a black Chiefs hat sitting on a shelf, a photo of his dad wearing it, and then Hynes putting it on himself and looking down with a slight smile. In the comment section, he wrote, “Who knew a football would somehow bookend our time together. Life’s funny like that :)”
Hallmark Stars Flood Tyler Hynes With Sympathy & Love
Allister Foster for Hallmark MediaIn addition to receiving notes of sympathy from countless fans, Hynes received messages of love and support from many of his Hallmark colleagues, including his dear friend Jonathan Bennett, who simply and sweetly wrote, “Love you.”
Their fellow “The Groomsmen” co-star Heather Hemmens commented, “I’m so sorry, friend. Sending lots of love ♥️♥️♥️”
Lacey Chabert, who’s currently filming her new Hallmark series in Spain, wrote, “I’m so sorry, Tyler. Sending you all my love and prayers for comfort.”
“Sending so much love,” Holly Robinson Peete chimed in. “It’s so hard. 💔🙏🏽”
Taylor Cole, who starred with Hynes in one of his first Hallmark movies, wrote, “I’m so sorry, Tyler. I love you. 🤍”
Tyler Hynes Recently Revealed His Dad Got Him His 1st Acting Gig
Although Hynes’ mom, Betty, is well-known among his fans, given how much her famous son has sung her praises and brought her to fan events, including the Hallmark Christmas Cruise, Hynes has kept his relationship with his dad much more private.
However, during an interview with comedian Paul Virizi’s on an episode of “Paul’s Best Podcast” released on May 6, Hynes revealed that his dad actually got him his first acting gig in Toronto when he was a kid.
“My dad’s a bricklayer and all my friends are,” he told Virizi and then joked, “You know, my parents wanted to get rid of me for a couple weeks in the summertime, because anybody would. Seeing my face as little as possible is anybody’s best summer.”
Hynes then continued, “So he got this discount cuz he fixed a chimney at this local theater company, right? And they were like, ‘Okay, your kid is obnoxious enough that we might pay him to be in this play.’ And so that’s my first paycheck, and I started then.”
