Soledad O'Brien Mourns The Loss Of Her Beloved Father Edward

Soledad O’Brien has lost a titan in her life. The newswoman shared the news of her father Edward O’Brien’s passing on Twitter in a series of touching tweets celebrating his life. “My dad passed away last night. He was 85. He was a sharpshooter in the military. A professional athlete. A scientist,” she wrote in a tweet accompanied by a photograph of her father with her and her mother taken in 1966. O’Brien said her father, who was white, was not only as a family man, but someone who believed everyone was equal. “He was a generous and kind human being—and a quiet force fighting for civil rights. His marriage to my mom in ‘58 was illegal (she’s Black). They were married 59 years. Here he is walking me down the aisle in ‘95. (His twin brother said our wedding mass),” she wrote in the next tweet. O’Brien also expressed gratitude that she was able to formally say goodbye at his bedside and thanked those who worked to give her that moment. “I already miss him terribly. And I’m grateful for all the folks who moved heaven and earth so I could fly home last night and be there as he took his last breath (looking at all the awesome people at MOSAIC and the @ATLHawks!” While she was grieving for herself, O’Brien also grieved for the world, believing that it would truly be missing out on the love her father had to offer. “Mostly I feel sorry for people who didn’t get to know my dad. He was a great human being. Love you, Dad. Rest In Power,” she concluded. Our thoughts are with O’Brien and her family during this difficult time.