Kathie Lee Gifford returned to the Today show for an emotional tribute to her late husband, Frank Gifford. Remembering her spouse, Kathie Lee expressed her appreciation for Gifford in her August 17 return, which took place just one week after Frank passed away at 84, reported Us Weekly .
Comforted by the presence of her friend and colleague, Hoda Kotb, during the popular Kathie Lee & Hoda hour, Gifford’s return also included her appreciation to fans for their caring comments.
“I want to thank everybody for your love and your texts and your tweets… the outpouring has been extraordinary,” said Kathie Lee. “It’s a heck of a way to find out how loved you are. Believe me, my family and I got great strength and comfort from it.”
Gifford returned just a day following turning 62. If he were still alive, the legendary sportscaster and former football player would have been sharing his 85th birthday celebration with her.
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But Kathie Lee focused on the laughter that they shared rather than the sorrow of Gifford’s loss after his death from natural causes at their Connecticut home.
“[We] laughed up to the very end… He passed away instantly that morning, all dressed in what he knew was my favorite outfit — white shirt, very tight black jeans — having his coffee, watching his TV, getting ready to go, ready for church, and excited about what we were gonna have for lunch, I’m grateful the Lord took him that way. Because the only thing Frank was ever afraid of in his entire life was being a burden to those he loved.”
In her return, Kathie Lee also discussed the religious faith, on which she and Gifford relied for comfort and strength.
“I just want everyone to know this was a man at complete peace in his life. He might have been the happiest, most contented person in the world at this point in his life… Honestly, he’s the most grateful human being I’ve ever known in my life. And that colored everything he did. He’d want you to know that he died in complete peace. He knew every sin he’d ever committed was forgiven. He had the hope that he would be with the Lord and that someday we would be with him as well.”
After marrying in 1986, Kathie Lee and Gifford had a son, Cody, now 25, and a daughter, Cassidy, now 22.
As the Inquisitr reported, Cassidy also paid tribute to her father. The 22-year-old daughter of Kathie Lee and Frank quoted the Bible in honoring her dad.
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“Philippians 4:13 has never rung so true. You were an unparalleled Giant in all sense of the word, Dad.. So keep doin’ you up there, because no one does it better, and no one ever will,” wrote Cassidy.
And Kathie Lee cited the same Biblical reference.
“Deeply grateful to all 4 ur outpouring of grace. We r steadfast in our faith & finding comfort in knowing where Frank is. Phillippians 4:13.”
And for Kathie Lee, Gifford’s legacy will live forever, she said during her return, according to the Daily Mail .
In his honor, Kathie Lee requested that viewers thank those in their lives. In particular, Gifford often expressed his gratitude for police officers, firefighters, and other civil servants, and Kathie Lee asked that others do the same.
[Photo by David Buchan / Getty Images]