Jimmy Kimmel Gives Tearful Tribute to His Uncle Frank [Video]

Last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Jimmy Kimmel shed a few tears while giving a tribute to his Uncle Frank. Frank Potenza, Kimmel’s real uncle, was a regular on the show. Potenza passed away on August 20th.

Before Kimmel started to talk about his Uncle Frank, the TV host said:

“Listen, I’m gonna try to do this without crying, but I’m probably gonna fail. But just turn away or something, because it’s embarrassing. It really is.”

Here’s Jimmy Kimmel’s tribute to his Uncle Frank.

Potenza has been a regular on Kimmel’s show since 2003. Last night was Kimmel’s first live show since Potenza’s death.

Kimmel said:

“Uncle Frank loved being a part of this show. And I wanna say thanks to my coworkers who talked to him and visited him and picked him up 12 hours early for work. He loved you. And thanks to all of you who came to the show and watched, for indulging me and letting me put my crazy uncle on television.”

Potenza was a veteran of the Korean war and spent over 20 years on the New York police force. Although, as mentioned in the video above, he only made 6 arrests during his time with the NYPD.

The New York Daily News reports that Potenza died at the age of 77 on August 20th. Kimmel said that the cause of death could have been from any of several cancers which Potenza suffered from.

What did you think of Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue?