Ron Cephas Jones' Daughter Jasmine Says It's Been a 'Battle' Accepting His Death: 'You Were a Damn Good Father'
"You led me. Mentored me. Gut laughed with me. Cried with me. Sang with me. Celebrated me. Studied with me. Cared for me… and loved me," she said of her late father
Jasmine Cephas Jones is mourning the loss of her father Ron Cephas Jones.
The Hamilton actress, 34, admitted she’s had trouble accepting the fact her father is gone after he died earlier this month.
“Grief,” she captioned a post that highlighted her favorite moments with the late This Is Us actor on Instagram. “This one is a battle. I keep looking at my phone wanting to call you and wanting to hear your voice. You listened… you REALLY listened to me.”
Jasmine continued, “You valued my opinion and you never judged me. We all know you were a great actor but my god you were a damn good father.”
Related: All About Ron Cephas Jones and Jasmine Cephas Jones' Father-Daughter Relationship
The Blindspotting star explained that the “best gift” she’s ever received from the Emmy winner “as a father was giving me a safe space to just be me.” She shared that he was never “afraid of my womanhood and all the pain and awkwardness and social anxiety and tough burdens that society can put on us.”
Alongside throwbacks of Ron holding her as a baby and videos of the father-daughter duo singing together over the years, Jasmine noted how he “led me. Mentored me. Gut laughed with me. Cried with me. Sang with me. Celebrated me. Studied with me. Cared for me… and loved me.”
“There’s so much so say, but I don’t have many words,” she concluded. “I just love you so much. I miss you beyond words. I still feel you here with me and I will carry you in my heart forever. Your Bird. 🤍🕊️.”
Related: Ron and Jasmine Cephas Jones Become First-Ever Father-Daughter Pair to Win Emmys in Same Year
On Aug. 19, a representative for Ron confirmed his death to PEOPLE. He was 66.
“Beloved and award-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones has passed away at the age of 66 due to a long-standing pulmonary issue,” they wrote in a statement.
“Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him,” it continued. “He began his career at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and his love for the stage was present throughout his entire career, including his recent Tony nominated and Drama Desk Award winning performance for his role in Clyde’s on Broadway.”
“Ron’s inner-beauty and soul was evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy award winning performance on This is Us. He is survived by his daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones,” the statement concluded.
Shortly after the news, Jasmine posted a simple black-and-white photo with her father the next morning on her Instagram Story. The photo featured the actress resting her head on her father’s shoulder and looking up toward him.
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Her mother, Kim Lesley, followed with her own memorial and posted a vibrant image that showed her walking with the late actor, who could be seen joyously laughing with his right arm wrapped around her as she smiled warmly.
"Beloved Ron," she wrote on top of the photo on her Instagram Story, adding an orange heart emoji and her pet name for him.
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