Kristin Davis Opens Up About Losing Her Father After Parkinson’s Battle: ‘You Lit Up Our Lives’

Kristin Davis shared the sad news that she lost her beloved father, Keith Eugene Davis, following his battle with Parkinson’s disease.

“My Dad passed away recently, and the family gathered for the celebration of his life that he had left detailed instructions for,” the And Just Like That star, 59, revealed in a Monday, November 18, Instagram post, saying it was a “beautiful celebration with a jazz band.”

Kristin said that during the family gathering, everyone “learned new things about him, because he led an extraordinary life.”

The actress described how her dad was born “in a cabin on a river in North Carolina” and went on to achieve so much in his life. That included “giving speeches all over the world about his research in psychology.”

“He was born to be a teacher and loved it so much. He was brilliant and bright, and people loved him,” the Boulder, Colorado, native revealed about her father.

Kristin shared that “for the last decade” her dad lived with Parkinson’s, a progressive brain disorder for which there is no cure. “I think about the devotion with which my mother cared for him (and his doctors and nurses and home health care!) and I’m so grateful for the support he got, and the perseverance he showed in a very real and difficult struggle.”

The Sex and the City alum told her followers, “I know many of you are probably caring for people in your life, and I know how my love and energy it takes,” as she was still “thinking of our whole family and especially my Mom.”

“We love you dad, and we are so grateful you lit up our lives and left us with so much,” Kristin concluded her post.

Her SATC and AJLT costar Cynthia Nixon wrote in the comments that Kristin’s dad “would be so proud to be honored by you in this way. And I know it means a lot to your mom, too.”

Cynthia, 58, told her friend, “You were such a trooper at work both before and after he passed. I can imagine how very hard that much have been. You are and always have been such an amazing daughter to both your parents, as you are an amazing mom to both your kids.”

Kristin adopted daughter Gemma Rose in 2011. She added to her family by adopting a son, Wilson, 2018.

The Cash Out star‘s celebrity pals also shared their thoughts about their friend’s loss. Actress Olivia Munn left a series of red heart emojis, while Rosie O’Donnell posted broken heart emojis.

One of Kristin’s fans had her father as a professor at the University of South Carolina and shared a fond memory.

“He was my social psych professor at U of SC, and it was one of my favorite classes — he was smart, funny, supportive, and made learning new concepts easy. So sorry for your loss. He was a wonderful and warm person,” the user wrote.

Kristin’s father was a provost as well as a psychology professor at the school. Keith moved their family from Boulder, Colorado — where he worked as a professor at the University of Colorado — to South Carolina when the Couples Retreat star was a young child.