Kevin Hart is mourning the death of his father, Henry Robert Witherspoon.
In a touching tribute shared on his Instagram, the Comedian referred to his father as one of the “realest” persons he knew. While his millions of fans have grown to love his standup comedies and his movies, over the past few years, Kevin Hart has been giving fans a glimpse into his personal life, including his relationship with his father. In a recent episode of his Hart to Heart podcast with Jay-Z, the famed Comedian opened up about his past broken relationship with his father, who was a drug addict when he was younger.
Fast forward a couple of months, and Hart is announcing the passing of his father. “RIP to one of the realest & rawest to ever do it…Love you dad,” he wrote on Instagram while sharing a photo of himself standing beside his father. “Gone but never forgotten….Give mom a hug for me…. y’all did good man. Thank you for everything. I’m a better father because of you We will all make you proud.”
Since sharing the news on Wednesday (October 12), Kevin Hart has been getting an outpouring of love from his fans and his celebrity colleagues, including Usain Bolt, who dropped some praying hands emojis on the post. Chelsea Handler, Ludacris, Eudoxie, Desi Banks, Tanks, and more all shared their support. “Oh, sorry, Kev. He wouldn’t have left you before he knew you were good,” Handler wrote.
Kevin Hart is one of the most successful comedians of all time, both on stage and the big screen. The Jumanji actor shared in a 2017 interview with ET how his father’s struggles helped him to be a better father to his children.
“My kids actually think I’m the coolest dad on the planet,” Hart said. “I know why I am the way that I am, my dad has a lot to do with that — the mistakes that my dad made, you know, the decisions to do drugs, being in and out of jail, in and out of our lives. I saw firsthand what not being present did and because of that, I now know what being present means.”
