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Kevin Hart's father, Henry Witherspoon, recently passed away. On Wednesday, October 12, 2022, the actor took to Instagram to announce the news of his father's death.
The emotional and heart-felt post had a series of the 43-year-old's pictures with his father to cherish their memories. In the photos, the father-son duo can be seen enjoying themselves with other family members.
In his post, the Jumanji star also thanked his father “for everything” and asked him to “give a hug” to his mother Nancy, who passed away in 2007.
Prior to his father’s demise, Hart opened up about Witherspoon during an interview on the Late Show with Stephen Corbert. He noted that he could be a great dad himself after learning from his father’s mistakes and said:
“My kids actually think I’m the coolest dad on the planet... I know why I am the way that I am, my dad has a lot to do with that- the mistakes that my dad made, you know, the decisions to do drugs, being in and out of jail, in and out of our lives.”
Kevin Hart continued to say that he had seen firsthand what not being present did and thanks to that, he knows what "being present means." The actor added that he knows how being there can help his children and the effect it would have on them.
At the time, the actor also revealed that he had worked on his bond with his father and that their relationship took an “amazing” turn. Stating that he was strong enough to deal with it growing up, Hart noted that he had a different attitude and was a positive guy. He added:
"I choose to go positive instead of negative a lot and because of that, my relationship with my dad is amazing now!”
He also shared that his father was focused on becoming the “best grandparent” before his passing:
“And my dad understands how I feel and how I look at things, and now my dad is focusing on being the best grandparent that he possibly can.”
In his emotional tribute to Witherspoon, Kevin Hart also mentioned that he and his brother will continue to make their father proud.
Kevin Hart has an elder brother who is a professional pool player
Kevin Hart was born to Nancy Hart and Henry Witherspoon on July 6, 1979, in Philadelphia and grew up with his elder brother Robert Hart.
The Hart brothers were raised by their mother in a single-parent household as Witherspoon was mostly in and out of prison due to his addiction issues.
Nancy reportedly worked as a system analyst for the Office of Student Registration and Financial Services at the University of Pennsylvania to raise her two sons.
She passed away in January 2007 at the age of 56 after a battle with ovarian cancer. Kevin Hart eventually repaired his relationship with his father after the latter recovered from addiction.
The What Now? creator has also shared a close relationship with his brother Robert. Last year, Hart took to Instagram to wish his brother on his 50th birthday.
However, in the 2019 Netflix docuseries Don’t F** This Up, Kevin Hart revealed that his brother got involved in gang activities by selling drugs during his youth.
Hart reportedly said at the time that his brother made every mistake one could make as a teenager. He added that Robert was in a gang, dealt drugs and even tried to snatch an old woman's purse. Stating that it was the last straw for their mother, Kevin revealed that Nancy took Robert to court and "got him emancipated."
The comedian also shared that his older brother’s mistakes prompted his mother to turn into a strict parent for him. He said that nancy set up a "routine of structured, systematic, and supervised movements that she imposed" on his life. Kevin added:
“Her routine for me went like this: we woke up at 6 in the morning, [and] I left to catch the school bus at 7. After school ended, I had to go to an extracurricular activity.”
Robert is now sober and has a family of his own. He is a professional pool player and is often seen spending time with his own children, and nephews and nieces.
Kevin Hart, meanwhile, is a proud father to four children. He married his first wife Torrei in 2003 and the couple welcomed two children together. Their daughter Heaven Leigh was born on March 22, 2005 and their son Hendrix was born on October 8, 2007.
The pair filed for divorce in 2010 citing irreconcilable differences, and their separation was finalized in 2011. Hart also requested joint custody of their two children following the split.
Nearly three years after his divorce, Hart got engaged to second wife Eniko Parrish on August 18, 2014. The couple tied the knot on August 13, 2016 and welcomed son Kenzo Kash the following year.
Kevin Hart and Parrish parted ways after the former admitted to cheating on his wife while she was pregnant with their son. The pair eventually reconciled and welcomed their second child, daughter Kaori May, on September 29, 2020.
