Real Housewives Of Atlanta star Drew Sidora made an emotional announcement Tuesday that her father Dr. Robert A. Jordan passed away.
Robert suffered a heartbreaking decline as he struggled with Alzheimer’s disease, occasionally failing to recognize his daughter.
The 38-year-old reality star posted an Instagram post with the news of his death, accompanied by a throwback slideshow in his memory.
Touchingly, she set the slideshow to Luther Vandross’ song Dance With My Father, in which he sang how “I was sure I was loved.”
“You are never prepared for the inevitable, but here we are…. It is with streaming tears, I announce that my father Dr. Robert A. Jordan has made his passage to heaven,” Drew wrote. “As my mother says, he fought a good fight and finished his race, with a smile on his face, he picked up his crown at Heaven’s Gate!”
Dear Deceased: Real Housewives Of Atlanta star Drew Sidora emotionally announced Tuesday that her father Dr. Robert A. Jordan passed away
Mourned: Robert, a pediatrician, suffered a heartbreaking decline as he struggled with Alzheimer’s disease, occasionally failing to recognize his daughter
She warmly told her fans, “Thank you for letting me share my journey with my dad battling Alzheimer’s. Thank you to all of you who are constantly messaging and writing to me, sharing your own personal experiences with a loved one battling Alzheimer’s and Dementia. We are forever connected!!’
Drew recalled, “I was a daddy’s girl and I will cherish the fond memories that will live forever in my heart and his legacy lives on forever!” He was the best pediatrician in all of Chicago and if you knew it, you knew it! He was passionate about helping people, saving lives and providing quality health care to people in the poor community.”
She proudly commented, “He has served 4 generations of patients in his practice and he will be truly missed. He had the most humble and sweetest spirit and we will celebrate HIS LIFE!!!!! Thank you for your condolences and please keep my family in your prayers as we grieve. I thank God, knowing we’ll see you again, Daddy!”
On an episode of The Real Housewives Of Atlanta earlier this year, Drew revealed she had a “breakdown” when she visited her father at his nursing home in Chicago.
Her mood improved, however, when her mother Rev. Jeannette B. Jordan arrived on the scene, and Robert began to remember Drew more clearly.
Drew, who is a singer in addition to her career as a reality star, further revealed the Bravo show that she also played her father her new song in the nursing home.
“My dad doesn’t always recognize me, but when he heard me sing and knew it was me, I was extremely emotional because that’s been our bond all my life,” Drew revealed to the camera afterwards.
She told husband Ralph Pittman, “I think I’ve been through it pretty strong, but literally, when I go back to Chicago, it’s like, ‘Oh, wow, Daddy’s in a nursing home.'”
Throwbacks: The 38-year-old reality star posted an Instagram post telling the news of his death, accompanied by a slideshow in his memory
Heartbreaking: Touchingly, she put the slideshow on the Luther Vandross song Dance With My Father, in which he sang about how “I was sure I was loved”
‘I was a Daddy’s Girl’: ‘As my mother says, he fought a good fight and finished his race, with a smile on his face, he picked up his crown at Heaven’s Gate!’ Drew wrote
During her visit to the nursing home, she saw that her father was wheelchair bound, which surprised her ‘because when he went in he was still walking’.
Drew’s year has been plagued with emotional turmoil, including not only the decline and death of her father, but also the dramatic collapse of her marriage to Ralph.
Days after Drew Ralph threw a lavish 40th birthday party, the couple split, bringing the curtain down on nine years of marriage.
“For three years, the Pittmans’ welcomed millions of viewers into their home as they struggled to repair their marriage,” a Drew spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
“Despite obvious differences, they agree that their marriage is irretrievably broken and go their separate ways.”