Jessel Taank is mourning the loss of her dad, Kishor Taank.
The “Real Housewives Of New York City” star shared the heartbreaking news on Instagram on Friday.
“My Dad. My Hero. Our North Star,” Jessel captioned the post, without revealing a cause of death. “May 1956 – February 2025.”
The 45-year-old also posted a slew of black-and-white throwback photos of her father, including one that showed the two of them together at the beach with Taank’s husband, Pavit, and one of their twin sons.
“If lust for life were a person, it would be my Dad,” Taank wrote alongside the snaps. “His adventurous spirit was rooted in his beloved Kisumu, Kenya, where he spun tales of his mischievous childhood — climbing banana trees, stirring up trouble. A true Tarzan. That was his essence.”
She added that her late father “was fiercely passionate,” “hot headed” and “loyal to a fault.”
“He loved talking about money — ours, other people’s — always the finance guy,” she recalled. “He interrogated us about our spending habits. ‘You have to save your money,’ he warned. ‘But that’s not fun,’ I argued. ‘Being broke isn’t fun,’ he’d counter. We’d never listen.”
She went on to express how her father always took an interest in those around him, as well.
“I’ve never known anyone as engaged as my Dad. He wanted Every. Single. Detail. He made friends everywhere, knew everyone, left an impression in five minutes or five hours,” she wrote. “People gravitated toward him. He only wanted to practice happiness and it was infectious — when he walked into a room, you felt the energy shift.”
“He married my mum — the Cindy Crawford to his bald Richard Gere — and together they built a life of family, travel and laughter,” Jessel continued. “‘Your parents don’t act like parents,’ people always said. They weren’t. They were my best friends — crazy, spontaneous, a little nuts.”
Reflecting on her grief, the New Yorker concluded: “It’s easy to be overcome with sadness, but sadness only serves our selfish purpose. Instead we move forward with gratitude. “I’m so grateful you were my dad. We would choose you every time.”
A cause of death has not been revealed, but fellow Bravo stars took to the comments section to share their condolences.
Fellow “RHONY” cast member Ubah Hassan wrote, “Jessel! My heart aches for you and your family. May Allah surround you with strength, comfort, and peace, guiding you through this difficult time,” while “RHOBH” star Sutton Stracke sweetly shared, “I’m so sorry to hear this. I feel honored to have met him. His love for you was apparent and beautiful.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
