Kishor Taank, Jessel Taank’s father, passed away at 68 years old.
The Real Housewives of New York City star penned, “My Dad. My Hero. Our North Star ✨,” 45, wrote via Instagram on Friday, March 14. “May 1956 – February 2025🤍🤍🤍.”
Jessel’s goodbye post for her dad:
Jessel shared a slideshow of throwback pics and a tribute to her father. “If lust for life were a person, it would be my Dad.”
“His adventurous spirit was rooted in his beloved Kisumu, Kenya, where he spun tales of his mischievous childhood — climbing banana trees, stirring up trouble. A true Tarzan. That was his essence.”
Jessel’s dad was remembered as “fiercely passionate” and “loyal to a fault.” He had an affinity for talking about economics and would offer her advice. She continued, “He loved talking about money — ours, other people’s — always the finance guy. He interrogated us about our spending habits. ‘You have to save your money,’ he warned. ‘But that’s not fun,’ I argued. ‘Being broke isn’t fun,’ he’d counter. We’d never listen.”
Jessel’s special relationship with her father:
While looking back on her connection with her dad, Jessel recalled how interested he always was about the people around him.
“I’ve never known anyone as engaged as my Dad. He wanted Every. Single. Detail. He made friends everywhere, knew everyone, left an impression in five minutes or five hours,” she wrote. “People gravitated toward him. He only wanted to practice happiness and it was infectious — when he walked into a room, you felt the energy shift.”
Jessel’s parents:
The RHONY star boasted about her dad’s relationship with her mom, Nicky Taank. “He married my mum — the Cindy Crawford to his bald Richard Gere.”
“Together, they built a life of family, travel and laughter. ‘Your parents don’t act like parents,’ people always said. They weren’t. They were my best friends — crazy, spontaneous, a little nuts.”
Love and light:
Jessel recalled how her dad would pose for pics while looking at the sun. She knows “he’s in the very light he basked in.”
“It’s easy to be overcome with sadness, but sadness only serves our selfish purpose. Instead we move forward with gratitude,” she penned. “I’m so grateful you were my dad. We would choose you every time.”
A cause of death was not revealed.
