Ellen Nation is in mourning with the TV host and comedian after she broke news Thursday that her father, Elliott DeGeneres, had died this week at age 92.
DeGeneres, who turns 60 later this month, also said: “He was very proud of me. He loved the show. He was a very kind man, an accepting man. There was not one bone of judgement in his body. He was very funny. I think my brother Vance and I got our sense of humor from him.”
On Twitter, she added: “When I was a kid, my dad took us on one vacation to Warner Bros. Studios. He loved this business. He loved that I was in it. When he died, I saw this rainbow over the stage they named for me.”
When I was a kid, my dad took us on one vacation to Warner Bros. Studios. He loved this business. He loved that I was in it. When he died, I saw this rainbow over the stage they named for me. pic.twitter.com/QQswe3mwfi
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 12, 2018
Heightline.com offered more details on Elliott Everett DeGeneres, an insurance agent.
“We do know that he wasn’t around much during her childhood,” the site said. “After the separation between Ellen DeGeneres mother and Elliot in 1973, Ellen decided to go live with her mum while her brother stayed with their dad.”
DeGerenes spoke about her father quite a bit was when she explained his concerns for her when she came out as a lesbian in 1997.
“She said he didn’t like how open she was about it because what he wanted was for her to live a quiet life,” Heightline said.
She was quoted as having said: “He didn’t want me to hurt myself so he wanted me to be nice and quiet all the time and not really argue or speak my opinion. So imagine his challenge of having an openly gay child.”