Jennifer Aniston took to Instagram on Monday to share the heartbreaking news that her father John Aniston has died. The “Friends” star shared a series of photos of her with John, who is perhaps best known for his 52-year stint playing Victor Kiriakis on the daytime soap, “Days Of Our Lives,” as she further mentioned that he passed away on Friday.
“Sweet papa… John Anthony Aniston. 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,” she wrote. “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💔 Don’t forget to visit.”
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It was just earlier this year when John was recognized with the Daytime Emmy lifetime achievement award, having built up an impressive list of credentials throughout his five-decade-long acting career, which included roles on shows such as “Star Trek: Voyager,” “The West Wing,” and “Search For Tomorrow.” Rest in peace, John Aniston.
Back in 2020, Jennifer revealed that her relationship with her now-deceased dad wasn’t always great, having felt some resentment towards him after he walked out on the family when she was still just a child.
The pair were said to have had a distant relationship for years because Jen-An struggled to accept why her dad would have treated her the way that he did when she was a minor and no longer had a father figure in her life as she navigated through her not-so-easy teen years on her own.
reading about Jennifer Aniston’s IVF journeys, the one thing she said she wishes she’d done is freeze her eggs. so my career girlies in your late 20s/early 30s, look into it!
— Heifer Hotline (@janetheeesq) November 10, 2022
An insider told Daily Mail at the time, “Jen forgave her father for walking out a long time ago. But their relationship has had its ups and downs.” Fortunately, though, the father-daughter duo were able to patch things up in recent years — so much that Jennifer reportedly began calling her father “almost every day.”
“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,” the source continued. “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.”