‘His life is love’: The Nanny’s Fran Drescher reveals father’s death in emotional tribute
Fran Drescher has remembered her late father Morty in an emotional message delivered at a New York awards night.
The Nanny star and SAG-AFTRA president was honoured at the New York Women In Film & Television’s 44th annual Muse Awards on Tuesday (Wednesday in Australia) but was unable to attend in the wake of her father’s death last week.
The event’s Master of Ceremonies, Nancy Giles, explained Drescher’s absence by sharing the news of her father’s death. She played a video of highlights from Drescher’s career, which included a photo of Drescher with her father, before inviting SAG-AFTRA’s vice president Linda Powell to accept the award on the star’s behalf.
“It was so moving to see that video open with Fran’s dad,” she said. “I feel like maybe he’s here with us and celebrating her here with us.”
In her absence, Drescher penned a speech for Powell to read as she accepted the award.
The speech commenced with an emotional nod to her late father.
“My beloved father passed away on March 20th, although he was 94 and a half – and went gently in his sleep – it still feels untenable how permanent the loss of this great man is,” Drescher wrote.
“It was so moving to see that video open with Fran’s dad,” she said. “I feel like maybe he’s here with us and celebrating her here with us.”
In her absence, Drescher penned a speech for Powell to read as she accepted the award.
The speech commenced with an emotional nod to her late father.
“My beloved father passed away on March 20th, although he was 94 and a half – and went gently in his sleep – it still feels untenable how permanent the loss of this great man is,” Drescher wrote.
The Nanny star continued, taking the moment as an opportunity to share her love and respect for the man he was.
“His values were always in the right place. He honoured and respected everyone equally. He understood the importance of things. His life is love. His life is family and simple pleasures and we should live in gratitude,” she wrote.
“I am his daughter and I am so happy he got to see me not only achieve success as an actor, but even more importantly as a labor leader because doing volunteer work on behalf of the greater good was the ethics by which he raised me.”
