Guy Fieri Mourns Death of Dad Jim on First Father’s Day Without Him: ‘Tough Day’

"My dad Jim is my hero," Fieri told PEOPLE in 2022

• Guy Fieri shared that he experienced his first Father's Day without his dad Jim Ferry on Sunday, June 16, following his death in January at age 81

• Fieri added that his "tough day" was made brighter by a friend's daughter who asked him to be her godfather

• "I said I would be honored and YES," Fieri captioned an Instagram video of his emotional day

Guy Fieri's is mourning the loss of his dad Jim Ferry.

In a video posted on Instagram on Sunday, June 16, the Food Network star, 56, shared that he was experiencing his first Father's Day without his dad following his death at the age of 81.

Jim, who owned multiple stores in Ferndale, Calif. where Guy and his late sister Morgan were raised, died on Jan. 27. He is survived by his wife Penny, Guy and his wife Lori, and three grandchildren, Hunter, Ryder, and Jules. Guy's sister Morgan died from melanoma in 2011.

"Hope everyone's having a great Father's Day. I'm with Hunter and Ryder and the family right now and bunch of our friends all getting together," said Guy. "Kind of a tough day for me, first Father' Day without my dad Jim, but even when you're having a tough day some little miracles happen in the world."

Guy went on to share that the daughter of some close friends had asked him to be her godfather. "Today at dinner she came up to me and gave me a card and handed me this glass that says, 'Only the best uncles are promoted to godfather,' and asked me if I'd be her godfather. Pretty special day," he added.

Related: Guy Fieri Celebrates Youngest Son Ryder's High School Graduation: 'So Proud'

"I said I would be honored and YES," Guy captioned the video.

In a PEOPLE cover story back in 2022, Guy opened up about his dad's pancreatic cancer. At the time, Jim had celebrated his 80th birthday and was five years cancer free.

"He's been a great advocate for people that have gone through it," Guy said. "Because there's not a lot of knowledge about it. It's not a great success rate. But I think you got to live every single day. That's the biggest thing, is you never know what tomorrow's going to bring."

"Family is always the first priority," he added at the time. "Especially with my parents being aged."

Guy (who changed his given last name back to the original Italian when he married Lori) always looked up to his father.

"I think I was fortunate when I got into television, I got in when I was what, 36, 37 years old, maybe older than that, but I'd already done what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a dad, I wanted to be a great dad. I want to be like my dad, " he said. "My dad Jim is my hero. Both my parents are. Both really hard working, both committed to taking care of our family, both committed to being great members of the community. So I wanted to be like them."

Related: Guy Fieri on Making Family His 'First Priority' and His Calling to Give Back: 'I Hope People Say I Helped'

Guy spoke about being especially in awe of Penny and Jim after his sister Morgan's death.

"When you watch your mom and dad bury their kid and still get up and go live their life, and of course do it with a ton of sorrow — I mean, we can't talk about my sister without my mom crying — but they go and do it every day and I don't know how they can do it," he said. "I don't know that I have that kind of strength as a person. So they're great examples to follow."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Penny and Jim were what Guy called "hippie parents" and always encouraged him to work hard, like when he sold pretzels from a bicycle cart at 10 years old.

Jim and Penny came to Ferndale in 1970 with "$8 in dimes," according to an obituary from NCJ. They ran Abraxas Leather Shop before selling it and opening Dave’s Saddlery, which they ran for over 20 years.

"We had a lot of critical thinking, and a lot of deep thinking, and a lot of communication," said Guy of his childhood. "My dad always had a saying when I was a kid: 'You do something or I'll find something for you to do.'"

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.