Actor Darren Criss said his father has died after dealing with “a rare heart condition” for many years.
Bill Criss was 79.
In an Instagram post Monday night, Criss wrote that his dad died “peacefully yesterday morning, surrounded by his loved ones.”
“He was a true gentleman through and through, and was a constant source of joy and inspiration for me,” the “Glee” star wrote in the Instagram tribute.
“I’ve spent most of my life trying to be like him, wanting to see and do all the incredible things he did — and I’m so grateful he was around to see me actually pull a few off. He was there for all the greatest moments of my life, which of course, he always dressed up for. His kind blue eyes, big laugh, and infamous warm smile could not have been a better representation of who he was to his core.”
Criss, 33, included a series of photos of his father in the Instagram post.
“I cherished him every day, and will forever,” Criss concluded.
Criss rose to fame by portraying Blaine Anderson on “Glee” from 2010 to 2015. He also starred as Andrew Cunanan in the anthology series “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” earning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance.
