Jennifer Aniston Announces Her Dad's Death With a Series of Poignant Childhood Photos Celebrating Their Father-Daughter Bond
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Jennifer Aniston is grieving the loss of her father John Aniston, who died on Nov. 11. The Friends star announced the passing of her dad today, who was a Greek actor best known for his role as Victor Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives. Jennifer shared a series of poignant childhood photos and more recent snapshots showing their love throughout the years.
“Sweet papa… John Anthony Aniston,” Jennifer wrote on Instagram today. “You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew. I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace – and without pain.”
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She continued, “And on 11/11 no less! You always had perfect timing. That number will forever hold an even greater meaning for me now 🕊️.”
“I’ll love you till the end of time💔,” The Morning Show star wrapped up her loving tribute. “Don’t forget to visit 💫🤗❤️.”
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The first photo in the carousel is a black-and-white photograph of John holding his infant daughter. In it, he has a thick head of brown hair and mustache as he cuddles the baby girl. Jennifer’s head is resting on her papa, and it’s incredibly sweet.
Jennifer is a kid in the next photo, which is sepia-toned. John — with the same great hair! — is dressed in a smart blazer over a green shirt with khakis. He’s sitting with one knee propped up, and Jennifer sitting right next to him. Her long brown hair is down in the photo, and she’s wearing red pants and a red shirt, with a fuzzy brown coat. She’s sitting identically to her dad, with one knee propped up.
Another two photos show Jennifer and John in more recent times. He had the same iconic mustache (now fiercely white), as he hugs Jennifer. The father-daughter duo are wearing matching black in one photo from a formal event, and the next is more casual, as John sits next to his daughter at a table.
Jennifer has had a tumultuous relationship with her dad over the years. He walked out on her and her mom, Nancy Dow, when Jennifer was a tween in Nov. 1979, but the coronavirus pandemic reportedly helped them reconcile. A source close to John, who was 86 at the time, told The Daily Mail in April 2020: “Jen forgave her father for walking out a long time ago. But their relationship has had its ups and downs.”
The insider continued, “Jennifer didn’t speak to him for ages. But since the coronavirus crisis she has been on the phone almost every day. And not just brief conversations. It’s like she has realized life is very short and she wants her relationship with John to be the best it can be. He’s thrilled that they have reconciled.”
Jennifer said about the incident, per The Daily Mail, “I went to a birthday party, and when I came back, my mother said, ‘Your father’s not going to be around here for a little while.’ She didn’t say he was gone forever. I don’t know if I blocked it, but I just remember sitting there, crying, not understanding that he was gone.”
She continued, “I don’t know what I did later that night or the next day. I don’t remember anything other than it being odd that all of a sudden my father wasn’t there. And he was gone for a while, about a year.”
But then he randomly got back in touch. “He just called one day and said, ‘Let’s go see The Fantasticks.’ So we had a little dinner and saw the show. After that, I started seeing him on weekends, and this new way of life unfolded.”
In 2012, Jennifer told The Hollywood Reporter that her dad didn’t want her to go into acting.
“My dad’s advice has always been: ‘Don’t do it. Become a doctor. Become a lawyer,’” Jennifer told the outlet. “He didn’t want me to be heartbroken because he knew it was a tough business. It compelled me to go for it even harder. Do what keeps you happy, and don’t ever let people box you in.”
However, in a 1990 interview with E! News, per PEOPLE, John praised his daughter’s talent. “Jennifer is a natural talent,” John said. “There are certain things you can learn in this business, and there are certain things you can’t learn. The comic instinct that she has in unerring. That’s her greatest asset.”
In June 2022, Jennifer honored her father at the 49th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, where she virtually presented her father with a lifetime achievement award (although he wasn’t in attendance).
“It’s an opportunity to not only pay tribute to a true icon in the daytime television world, but it’s also a chance to recognize the lifelong achievement of a great and well respected actor who also happens to be my dad,” she said, per Today. “John Aniston has been working in television consistently for over half a century.”
In her December 2022 cover interview with Allure, she opened up about forgiving her parents. “I forgave my father. I’ve forgiven my family,” she said, referring to the estrangement with her mother, who died in 2016.
“It’s important,” she added. “It’s toxic to have that resentment, that anger. I learned that by watching my mom never let go of it. I remember saying, ‘Thank you for showing me what never to be.’ So that’s what I mean about taking the darker things that happen in our lives, the not-so-happy moments, and trying to find places to honor them because of what they have given to us.”
Our condolences to Jennifer and the family.
Before you go, check out Bob Saget’s best quotes on fatherhood.
Launch Gallery: Thoughtful Quotes On How to Cope With Grief & Death
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