Ryan Seacrest shared heartbreaking news with his followers on Instagram Friday.
The American Idol host announced that his beloved father, Gary Lee Seacrest, had died at age 81, accompanying the news with an emotional message and family photographs.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that my loving father peacefully passed away earlier this week,” wrote Seacrest, who also produced Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
“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 concluded.
Maggie Sajak and Josh Groban were among those who liked the post.
Ryan Seacrest shared heartbreaking news on Instagram, announcing that his beloved father had died alongside a family photograph and an emotional tribute.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that my loving father peacefully passed away earlier this week. My mom, sister and I have peace knowing he is in a better place and free of any pain or suffering. We are heartbroken,” Seacrest wrote.
One of the images showed Seacrest with his mother, Constance Marie, and his sister, Meredith, with a birthday cake visible on a nearby table.
Another photograph offered a glimpse of a much younger Ryan, dressed in a dark suit and red striped tie and wearing glasses.
Gary worked as a real estate lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia, and had previously served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Seacrest’s father had been living with prostate cancer, having received the diagnosis several years earlier.
During a July 2025 on-air segment, Seacrest spoke about the difficult period surrounding his father’s illness. Gary had suffered from pneumonia and was admitted to the ICU, but he later recovered.
However, he still had to continue cancer treatments, a situation the Wheel of Fortune star described as “tough” for the entire family.
“My dad is about 80 years old, and I have a very close relationship with my father,” Seacrest said during the July 21 episode of On Air with Ryan Seacrest.
“And my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer years ago and started his treatment. And he, it didn’t get better. It got worse and it spread. It didn’t go well for him.”
The news about his father’s pneumonia came while Seacrest was hosting a live broadcast.
“I was on an American Idol show live during last season and my sister called me and she said, ‘Dad is in the ICU. How fast can you get here?’” he recalled.
Ryan Seacrest was last seen at the “Stage Architects: Nations — Festivals — Awards x Media” panel during the 2025 Joy Forum at SEF Arena on October 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Seacrest and Faisal Bafarat shake hands on stage.
“I finished the show. We were almost done. I couldn’t, I couldn’t even—I didn’t even remember what I was saying on the show. It was like robotic at that point.”
Despite the health challenges, his parents continued to find joy in their time together.
“I watched them over the weekends send photos of smiling and happiness and being together,” he recalled. “They’ve been married for 55 years. And they’ve got each other.”
Seacrest added, “They’re just happy to sit together looking at an ocean. And I just, I want to share that because I’ve been holding that in for a long time.”
Seacrest was most recently seen at the “Stage Architects: Nations — Festivals — Awards x Media” panel during the 2025 Joy Forum at SEF Arena on October 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
