Ryan Seacrest’s Father Gary Lee Seacrest Dies Following Cancer Battle

Ryan Seacrest is mourning the loss of his father, Gary Lee Seacrest.

The Wheel of Fortune host, 50, announced Friday that his father had died months after he had shared his prostate cancer diagnosis publicly.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that my loving father peacefully passed away earlier this week,” Ryan captioned an Instagram post Friday featuring photos with his father over the years. “My mom, sister and I have peace knowing he is in a better place and free of any pain or suffering. We are heartbroken.”

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Included in the post were photos of Gary with his wife, Constance Marie Zullinger; Ryan’s sister, Meredith Seacrest; her husband, Jimmy Leach; and their daughter, Flora Leach.

Ryan continued, “He was a devoted husband for 56 years, an incredible Papa to Flora, and my best friend,” concluding, “Dad you will live in our hearts forever. I love you.”

The American Idol host announced in July that his dad had been battling prostate cancer for years, and that while the disease was not detectable in 2021, it “got worse” and spread.

“My dad is about 80 years old, and I have a very close relationship with my father,” he said in 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.”

Ryan decided to share the news of his father’s health struggle after a moment on American Idol.

“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, revealing that his father had been diagnosed with pneumonia. “I finished the show. We were almost done. I couldn’t, I couldn’t even, I didn’t even remember what I was saying was on the show. It was like robotic at that point.”

Growing emotional as he reflected on his dad’s journey, Ryan shared, “[Last night], I got the most powerful, good, happy picture from my dad and my mother, who was with him. They went to a beach to sit outside. They just went to look at the water. They can’t do much, but I saw him smile. I saw my mom smile.”

He continued, “I watched them over the weekend send photos of smiling and happiness, and being together. They’ve been married for over 55 years. They’ve got each other and the pneumonia is gone, but his cancer is not.”