Jennifer Garner has announced her ‘kind and brilliant’ father William John Garner has died at the age of 85.
The 13 Going On 30 actress, 51, shared the painful news with a gorgeous post celebrating his life on Easter Monday, revealing he had died ‘peacefully’ on Saturday.
Writing on Instagram alongside a series of photographs of the father and daughter through the years, she paid tribute to his ‘loving legacy’.
She said he was surrounded by family at the moment of his death, and they sang Amazing Grace, jokingly asking did they’carry him across or scare him away’ to the other side.
‘While there is no tragedy in the death of an 85-year-old man who lived a healthy, wonderful life, I know grief is unavoidable, waiting around unexpected corners,’ she said.
‘Today is for gratitude. We are grateful for Dad’s gentle demeanour and quiet strength. For how he teased with a mischievous smile, and for the way he invented the role of all in, ever patient girl dad. We are grateful for his work ethic, leadership and faith.’
She thanked the Charleston Area Medical Centre and CIty Of Hope, a world-renowned pioneer in ‘cancer research, treatment and prevention,’ for their work to ‘extend Dad’s life’ and giving him ‘time to be in his favourite spots.’
‘Surrounded by daughters and grandchildren, cheering for his beloved Aggies, captaining a boat, and — most of all — next to his wife of 59 years, our Mom.’
‘There is so much to say about my dad — my sisters and I will never be done talking about how wonderful he was, so bear with us — but for today I share these memories with my appreciation for the kind and brilliant man, father, and grandfather he was, as well as the loving legacy he left behind.’
Jennifer and her family have been inundated with messages of support, including from actress Octavia Spencer who said she was ‘praying for you and your family losing a loved one is never easy.’
Staged star Georgia Tennant said she was sending ‘so much love,’ while Eva Longoria offered ‘my love and prayers for you and your family’.
Juliette Lewis wrote: ‘I love you sending you and your family all the blessings and love in the world,’ and Holly Peete said she was ‘so sorry Jen’.
‘Sending love to you. It’s so hard to lose your father. What a blessing to have had him for so long.’
Jennifer’s children, Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and 12-year-old Samuel. are now also mourning their grandfather
She shares the three children with ex husband Ben Affleck.
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