It was a sad day for the Giudice’s and the Gorga’s on Friday, April 3. Teresa Giudice, 47, and Joe Gorga, 41, revealed on Instagram that their father Giacinto died at the age of 76 after a long battle with his health. “My father, my protector, my hero, God took you early this morning to be with mommy, I saw you peacefully pass & I know you kept fighting for my daughters and I,” she wrote as part of a tribute to him. Joe’s was just as emotional. “I can’t believe he is gone. The world lost an amazing human being today. He was exactly what a true father and husband should be. I will miss you more than you know.”
Teresa and husband Joe Giudice‘s daughter Milania, 14, was the first of her sisters to break her silence over the loss of her grandfather. She posted a collage of many moments she’s had with her “nonno” that came with a very emotional tribute. “Rest easy my angel I love you endlessly thank you for all the laughs and count less memories. you will forever be missed,” the young teen wrote. “You brighten every room you walked into. thank you for being my best friend.”
Teresa and Joe’s eldest daughter Gia, 19, soon followed with her own slideshow of photos and a heartfelt message that commemorated Giacinto’s life. “He really did light up every room he walked into with that smile of his☺️ today I lost my best friend but gained a beautiful guardian angel that will look over me forever..😇,” Gia began her tribute, which you can read in full below.”
Giacinto’s health struggles were not unknown to the public. Fans first became aware of his problems problems in Oct. 2017, when Teresa detailed her dad’s previous stays at the hospital (for reasons including that he was “coughing up blood” and had “trouble breathing”) in her memoir, Standing Strong. A month after the book’s release he was reportedly hospitalized for pneumonia. He then returned to the hospital, two visits in one week, in October of the following year, 2018.