Jennifer Aniston pays tribute to father John Aniston as soap icon dies aged 89

Jennifer Aniston has paid an emotional tribute to her father, who died aged 89 on Friday. 

The Friends star took to her Instagram on Monday to announce the devastating death of her 'sweet pap', John Anthony Aniston, with a touching statement and four poignant photos. 

"You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew," Jennifer wrote. "I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace - and without pain." The statement comes shortly after Jennifer revealed she 'tried to get pregnant' in a candid new interview. 

The 53-year-old went on: "And on 11/11 no less! You always had perfect timing. That number will forever hold an even greater meaning for me now 🕊️I’ll love you till the end of time💔⁣." Jennifer signed off the heartfelt note with the reminder, "Don’t forget to visit." 

In the first image a carousal of photos, John can be seen holding Jennifer as a baby. In the second, The Morning Show star appears next to her father as a child, while the third and fourth snaps show the A-list dad-daughter duo as adults.
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John Anthony Aniston, a Greek-born American actor, was best known for his recurring role as Victor Kiriakis in the NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives. He and his first wife, Nancy Dow, welcomed daughter Jennifer Aniston into the world in 1969. He went on to have another child, Alexander, with his second wife, Sherry Rooney.

John's legacy in Hollywood was honored in June after he won the Daytime Emmys Lifetime Achievement Award for his role on Days of Our Lives. Jennifer, who reportedly rang her father every day during the first coronavirus lockdown, attended the ceremony virtually to accept the accolade on his behalf.

Their relationship hadn't always been solid, however. Jennifer was estranged from John several years after the US actor walked out on her mother, Nancy, when she was just 10. 

"I went to a birthday party, and when I came back, my mother said, 'Your father's not going to be around here for a little while,'" Jennifer told Rolling Stone magazine. 

"She didn't say he was gone forever. I don't know if I blocked it, but I just remember sitting there, crying, not understanding that he was gone. I don't know what I did later that night or the next day. I don't remember anything other than it being odd that all of a sudden my father wasn't there. And he was gone for a while, about a year." Jennifer later forgave her dad after he apologized, and the pair remained in touch in John's later years.