:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/ryan-seacrest-dad-103125-9ae06811c0784b6a9c5a546693ab1247.jpg "Ryan Seacrest mourns the death of his father: 'My best friend'")
The news comes after the &34;Wheel of Fortune&34; host revealed that his dad had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Ryan Seacrest mourns the death of his father: 'My best friend' The news comes after the &34;Wheel of Fortune&34; host revealed that his dad had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. By Mekishana Pierre :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/MekishanaPierreauthorphotoed08906b8105488ca1e991de8ac00dec.jpg) Mekishana Pierre Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at . She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Entertainment Tonight and Popsugar.
The news comes after the "Wheel of Fortune" host revealed that his dad had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Ryan Seacrest mourns the death of his father: 'My best friend'
The news comes after the "Wheel of Fortune" host revealed that his dad had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
By Mekishana Pierre
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Mekishana-Pierre-author-photo-ed08906b8105488ca1e991de8ac00dec.jpg)
Mekishana Pierre
Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.
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October 31, 2025 1:16 p.m. ET
Ryan Seacrest with his dad, Gary Lee Seacrest. Credit:
Ryan Seacrest/Instagram
The Seacrest family has been dealt a devastating blow, Ryan Seacrest revealed on Friday morning.
In a post shared to his Instagram, the *American Idol *and *Wheel of Fortune *host revealed that his dad, Gary Lee Seacrest, has died after a yearslong battle with prostate cancer.
"It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that my loving father peacefully passed away earlier this week," Seacrest captioned the four-slide post dedicated to his dad, who was 79. "My mom, sister, and I have peace knowing he is in a better place and free of any pain or suffering.
He added, "We are heartbroken."
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/ryan-seacrest-father-103125-d3118b4183d94c2db85c5ce63bc95583.jpg)
Ryan Seacrest with his father and family.
Ryan Seacrest/Instagram
Paying tribute to his father, Ryan wrote, "He was a devoted husband for 56 years, an incredible Papa to Flora, and my best friend."
"You will live in our hearts forever," the star wrote, concluding his post with a message to his late father: "I love you."
His post included photos of him with his father, as well as his mom, Constance Marie Zullinger; his sister, Meredith Seacrest; her husband, Jimmy Leach; and their daughter, Flora Leach. The slide's final photo showed Seacrest's father embracing him when he was a young, bespectacled future TV personality as they posed in dark suits.
Friends and fans — including *American Idol* judge Katy Perry, Michael Bublé, and Mario Lopez — expressed their condolences in the post's comments.
"Sending you and your family all the love," Perry wrote, while his *On Air *radio* *show crew added, "We love you and your family so much 💔 Gary will forever be with us."
Seacrest first revealed his father's cancer diagnosis in a 2021 Instagram post. The *Celebrity Wheel of Fortune* host kept his message concise, writing that his father had been "battling cancer for several years" — and that his family was told it was "no longer detectable" at the time.
He then opened up about his father's cancer diagnosis during an emotional segment of his radio show in July. It was the first time the show host had spoken in depth about his family's struggles, prompted by Dennis Clark's "victory story" of remission from cancer.**
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During the episode, Seacrest explained that his father's cancer was initially a private matter for the family but that he felt inspired to open up about how "extremely hard" it was to see his dad go through the ordeal, which began years ago after Gary's initial diagnosis with prostate cancer, which eventually took a turn for the worse when he got pneumonia.
"It didn't get better — it got worse and it spread. It didn't go well for him," Ryan said. "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?' I finished the show. We were almost done. I didn't even remember what I was saying on the show."
He then flew to Atlanta to be with his family — including his mother, who is in cancer remission — as they made a tough decision about a serious surgical procedure.
"I've never seen my strong, very smart father with the look on his face that he had, and the concern, looking at me to help guide the decision that should be made in this moment," Seacrest recalled.
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At the time, the TV personality said his family was preparing for another round of cancer treatments but that his dad's pneumonia was finally gone, adding that he was "so excited and happy" for his colleague, Clark, "when he had beaten it."
"Cancer affects every one of us in some way, and it sucks," he said at the time. "And the treatments suck ... treatments are tough. But I know he's going to get through this," Seacrest said.
Source: "EW Celebrity"
Source: Celebrity
Published: November 01, 2025 at 07:01AM on Source: ALPHA MAG
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