AT PEACE

‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Reveals Devastating Family Tragedy

“He closed his eyes and said, ‘I’ve got to go. He knew. He was at peace.”

Ryan Seacrest announced the death of his father, Gary Lee Seacrest, who tragically passed away aged 81 following a battle with cancer. “It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that my loving father peacefully passed away earlier this week,” the American Idol host captioned a series of Instagram photos of him and the Seacrest family posing with Gary. “My mom, sister and I have peace knowing he is in a better place and free of any pain or suffering. We are heartbroken. 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. I love you. Ryan,” he added. During Friday’s episode of his podcast, On Air With Ryan Seacrest, the host admitted his father had “been sick for a long time,” following an admission in July that he had been battling prostate cancer. “It’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,” he said of his father’s final moments. After telling his son to take care of his mother, Seacrest said “literally a few seconds later he closed his eyes and said, ‘I’ve got to go. He knew. He was at peace.”