Comedian and Actor Kevin Hurt mourn the loss of his father, Henry Robert Witherspoon. The comedian shared a touching tribute on social media, declaring his father ‘one of the realest & rawest to ever do it.’ The passing of Kevin Hart’s father comes 15 years after the comedian laid his mother to rest.
Henry Robert Witherspoon was born in Philadelphia, PA, on January 17, 1947. Witherspoon married Kevin Hart’s late mother, Nancy Hart, in the late 60s. In 1971 the coupled welcomed their first child, Robert Hart. Eight years later, Kevin Hart was born. For most of Kevin’s childhood, Witherspoon battled addiction and was in and out of jail. When Kevin was eight years old, his Witherspoon abandoned their family.
Despite Witherspoon’s absence, Kevin and his brother, Robert, were able to forgive him and even purchased him a home when he completed rehab. As the years progressed, Kevin and his father’s relationship became closer and closer. Witherspoon was a very active grandfather in the comedian’s children’s lives. Kevin Hart opened up about repairing his relationship with his father in 2017. The comedian appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert when he gave an update on their relationship. “You always have a choice to make. My thing is[…] I don’t have time to be angry. You know how much time it takes to hold an attitude and a grudge? That’s time and energy,” the comedian shared. Kevin Hart credits his father for the man and father he has become to his children.
The comedian announced the passing of his father on his Instagram account, where he shared multiple images of him, his father, and his wife and children throughout the years. In the caption, “RIP to one of the realest & rawest to ever do it…Love you, dad. Gone but never forgotten….Give mom a hug for me…. y’all did good, man. Thank you for everything…. I’m a better father because of you 😢💪🏾🙏🏾 We will all make you proud….”
Kevin Hart’s mother passed away in 2007. At the time of her passing, she and the comedian’s father were still married but separated. Kevin Hart spoke about the loss of his mother during an episode of Oprah’s Master Class. After losing his mother, Kevin began transferring the energy he placed into nurturing his relationship with his mother into his relationship with his father and brother to make their last name mean something.
Henry Robert Witherspoon’s cause of death has not been revealed. Prayers up for Kevin Hart and his family.
