RHONY star Erin Lichy has announced the passing of her father, Eliahu Yitzhari.
The Bravo star, 37, paid a touching tribute to her ‘best friend’ and ‘angel’ with a sweet post shared to her Instagram account on Tuesday.
Accompanying a heartfelt message were a slew of sweet images of her father over the years, including several with her and a few touching text messages he sent her.
‘My heart and soul. My best friend, my courage, my strength, my superpower. How grateful I feel to have had you as a parent to guide me, to uplift me, to teach me how to live life to the absolute fullest.
‘Your generosity is unmatched and I have learned not only how many people you helped silently but what a lasting impression your kindness left. Knowing I won’t see you laugh again or sing to me on the opposite end of the phone is a heartbreak I did not know existed, but somehow I know you are still there.
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RHONY star Erin Lichy has announced the passing of her father, Eliahu Yitzhari
‘You have given me the greatest gift and I cannot feel anything but sincerely grateful to you for being my father. In your last days you said to me “״בלי אהבה, לא שווה כלום – Without Love, Nothing is Worth Living For.
‘I cried so hard for the natural beauty of that sentence that you so freely let fall from your lips. Your soul is pure. A genuine, happy, loving energy and you gave us 5 a piece of that.
‘You left this world so beautifully, with your children by your side until the very end, and you made it very clear that your dying wish was that us 5, your legacy, stick together. We will honor you every single day.
‘I love you forever my Abba, my angel.’
Lichy’s friends and family rallied around in the comments section, with a number of Bravo stars all sending their condolences.
Andy Cohen commented, ‘What a bond. Thank you for sharing him with us all.’
RHONY co-star Ubah Hassan wrote, ‘Erin, anyone who looks at these pictures can feel the deep love you and your father shared. A bond like that is rare and beautiful, something you’ll carry with you always, forever woven into the fabric of your heart.
‘In this difficult time, I hope you allow the love and warmth of those who care for you to surround and comfort you, especially now when your heart is searching for answers.’
RHOM stars Lisa Hochstein and Guerdy Abraira also left their condolences in the comments.
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The post included sweet throwback image of Lichy with her father
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She shared a sweet snap of them together enjoying a day at the park
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‘My heart and soul. My best friend, my courage, my strength, my superpower,’ she began in the post
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‘Your generosity is unmatched and I have learned not only how many people you helped silently but what a lasting impression your kindness left,’ she wrote
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She also included touching text messages her father had sent her
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She also shared this sweet message written to her father to her account
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The Bravo community sent their support to Erin in the comments section
Erin’s husband Abe Lichy also shared a touching message
Lichy’s touching response to her spouse
RHONJ star Margaret Josephs shared: ‘What a beautiful tribute to your wonderful father. So heartbroken for you all, sending you much love and hugs.’
RHONY alum Jill Zarin also sent her love.
‘Erin- I’m so sorry . I always saw that special connection you had even if only thru the TV. Too soon. But lucky you were there till the end… or the beginning. Who knows… love, Jill,’ she said.
Lichy’s husband Abe Lichy recalled meeting Eliahu for the first time and called him a ‘second father.’
‘I still remember meeting your dad for the first time at Shabbat after we’d been dating a few weeks. I was not expecting this giant of a man. He was intimidating…. For about 5 seconds until you introduced me and he was immediately so warm and inviting. And then of course, after a couple of weeks started the very persistent “Avi, yalla. Close tha deal”.
‘Over the years we grew very close and he became a second father to me. He had no limit for the love he gave to everyone around him and he was loved equally by everyone. I feel very blessed to have had such an amazing father in law.’
Erin’s touching response: ‘He loved you like a son.’