Mark Consuelos Tears up on ‘Live With Kelly and Mark’ Announcing Death in the Family

Mark Consuelos is mourning the death of his father, Saul Consuelos.

The Riverdale actor, 55, tearfully announced the loss on Monday’s episode of Live With Kelly and Mark, revealing that his dad had passed while he and wife Kelly Ripa were on hiatus from their talk show.

“Two weeks ago today, my father passed away after a long bout with an illness. He passed away peacefully. Such a fascinating man,” an emotional Consuelos said at the start of Monday’s show.

“You were blessed more because you knew him his whole life,” Ripa chimed in. “I only got to know my father-in-law for 31 years. But they were the best 31 years of my life. I can honestly say I will miss him every day for the rest of my life, as I know you will, as our children will. He was the greatest person I’ve ever known. He really is so symbolic of everything you are.”

Looking back on his life with his father, Consuelos recalled having learned “so much” from watching him, even as a young child.

“He came here from Mexico in his early teens. He immigrated here from Mexico, he served his country for 30 years. Ended up in special operations command in Tampa,” Consuelos remembered. “This young kid from Mexico just got his education through the Navy, was always going to school. Brilliant, got his master’s while I was a kid, and he loved this country so much.”

The Scream 7 actor continued that his father was a “prime example of what this country promises people” who immigrate to the U.S., especially as someone who “raised three pretty good kids.”

“Now we’ve got to take care of mom,” continued a tearful Consuelos, who proposed his mom move to New York and host a cooking segment on their show.

“I have to say, I’m so grateful to your dad for everything he did,” said Ripa, who shares three kids with Consuelos. “A lot of times you’d be away working and we’d take the show on the road, and your dad would come on remotes to take care of the kids so I could go to work.”

Consuelos concluded the segment by revealing that he “thankfully” was able to “say goodbye” to his father before his death, but that he had been forced to pause rehearsals for his upcoming role in the Broadway play Fallen Angels. “I really feel like that was such a welcome distraction for me,” he said. “I knew I had to keep on going, especially during that time. It’s been great. I had such a good time doing it. I know he’s there watching.”