Kevin Hart Breaks His Silence On Father's Death In Tear-jerking Tribute

Kevin Hart's father, Henry Witherspoon, has passed away, leaving five grandchildren and his two sons behind. 

Announcing the heartbreaking news on Instagram, Hart in an emotional post, bid farewell to his father and referred to him as "one of the realest & rawest."

Although the pair initially had a rocky relationship when Hart was younger, the comedian revealed during an interview in 2018 that he was always going to support his dad regardless of past events. 

The "Jumanji" actor took to Instagram to share the devastating news of his father's passing. The grieving son posted several pictures, which included himself and his family posing for the camera alongside his late father.

The pictures showed Hart to have bonded with his father over time. The first photo was taken at an undisclosed location and both men wore knee-length shorts, while the late Witherspoon donned a colorful sleeveless shirt and Hart opted to go topless. He further accessorized his fit with sunglasses and white sneakers. 

The other pictures displayed the doting grandpa, posing alongside Hart, his brother, the comedian's wife, and his children while they all gathered for several family functions. Opening up about the heartbreaking loss, Hart wrote, "RIP to one of the realest & rawest to ever do it…. Love you dad. Gone but never forgotten….."

The "Central Intelligence" star, who previously lost his mum due to ovarian cancer back in 2007, further added, "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…."

The "Night School" actor was supported by his celebrity friends with touching and heartfelt comments. LaLa Anthony wrote, "Deepest condolences Kev. Sending love and prayers [heart and folded hands emoji]"

Comedian Chelsea Handler dropped a sentimental comment that read, "Oh, sorry Kev. He wouldn't have left you before he knew you were good. ❤️," while rapper T-pain dropped a word of encouragement, writing, "I'm glad he got to see you on top of the world bro. Blessings, my dude ❤️."

The "Fatherhood" actor, though mourning the loss of his father, made up for lost times with him before he died. Per ET Online, Hart, during an appearance on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," revealed that he and his dad had fixed their complicated relationship.

In his words, "I choose to go positive instead of negative a lot and because of that, my relationship with my dad is amazing now! And my dad understands how I feel and how I look at things, and now my dad is focusing on being the best grandparent that he possibly can."

Expressing his feelings, he added, "I think there is a choice, you always have a choice to make. My thing is, I don't have time to be angry. You know how much time it takes to hold an attitude and a grudge? That's time and energy! I don't have that time!"

He further concluded on a good note, saying, "I choose to be positive because overall, positive will always beat negative." The renowned comedian has been open about his father's absence in his life when he was growing up.

In his stand-up routines, Hart often told stories of how his dad battled alcohol and substance abuse while being in and out of jail. The star often stated that even though he didn't get the chance to enjoy the benefits of having a father around, he decided to do right by his kids because he "saw firsthand what not being present did and because of that, I now know what being present means."

Hart continues to prove that he has a heart of gold and will always support his people regardless of the situation they find themselves in. Last month, the father-of-four made headlines for defending Will Smith after the 2022 Oscars slap saga.

Per The Blast, the "Me Time" actor canvassed that the media leave the iconic star alone and let him heal. Hart, during an appearance on "Drink Champs," declared his unwavering support for the "Focus" actor amid the scandalous slap he gave Chris Rock.

He said, "Dark times deserve f--king great light, I'm not gonna s**t on my brother, and I'll say, Will Smith. Will Smith is a f*king – he's not only a legend, he's not only a GOAT… [he] is the reason why the idea of African Americans attached to global IP is normal."

The "Soul Plane" star, while still giving his passionate speech, said that people are allowed to make "mistakes" and they should be "allowed time to f**king recover." He then finally urged the world to step out from the issue and leave room for Smith and Rock to deal with their problems by themselves.