Jennifer Garner Announces Tragic Loss Of Her Dad

Jennifer Garner shared the sad news on Instagram that her father, William John Garner, had passed away over Easter weekend at the age of 85. In the lengthy caption to the post, which included a number of photos of Jennifer with her dad over the years, she acknowledged that, "while there is no tragedy in the death of an 85 year old man who lived a healthy, wonderful life, I know grief is unavoidable, waiting around unexpected corners." She went on to say, "today is for gratitude" as she made note of some of her dad's best qualities, including his "gentle demeanor and quiet strength."

Typically, Garner — one of the most down to earth Hollywood celebrities — uses her social media to share behind-the-scenes moments from her life, doing things like cooking, trying on overalls, and showing off throwback photos — which really highlight Jennifer's stunning transformation over the years. So this post about her father's death is both on-brand and heartbreaking.

Celebs like Katie Couric, Cheryl Strayed, and Julianne Moore commented on Jennifer's post, wishing her love at this hard time. One particularly touching comment was from Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer's long-time friend, who wrote, "My sweet friend ... sending you all my angels to help carry him home."

In her Instagram post honoring William Garner, Jennifer Garner thanked the medical staff who had helped him in his last days, and she said that they'd been singing "Amazing Grace" at the moment that he died, quipping, "did we carry him across or scare him away — valid question."

Jennifer certainly seems to have been close with her dad. On a September 2023 trip to West Virginia, where she grew up, she posted a picture with her dad and his "early birthday surprise: a ride in his childhood car — 1948 Studebaker Champion." Then at the start of 2024, Garner posted a picture of her parents to Instagram on their 59th anniversary and wrote, "Thank you, Mom and Dad, for giving my sisters and me such a secure, happy start to life."

In past interviews, Jennifer has talked about how much her dad and mom encouraged her to follow her dreams. In one example of his support, she included a clip in her post about his passing that described how her dad had called Capital One (Jennifer's been a spokesperson for them for years) to ask for "the Jennifer Garner card" and proudly confirming she was his daughter. Garner and her two sisters have lost their dad, Garner's kids have lost their grandfather, and it sounds like he was very much loved by them all. Our hearts go out to the entire family at this time.