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Bobby Flay’s father Bill Flay has died, PEOPLE has confirmed.
Bill, a former Navy lieutenant, died on Sunday and will be honored in a celebration of life in the coming weeks.
Bobby’s daughter Sophie Flay, 28, seemingly announced the news in a heartfelt tribute posted on Instagram on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
“My grandfather was my whole world,” she wrote. “He was a Navy Lieutenant who spoke four languages. He adored and believed in education. He was never underdressed. If we weren’t together on my birthday, he’d put on a button down shirt and blazer just for FaceTime.”
She called him “the biggest joker” and listed a few of the veteran’s loves, including profiteroles (a French cream puff dessert), opera, ballet, and history, adding, “A big fan of Andrea Bocelli, Christina [Aguilera] and Nicki Minaj. He loved the Premiere League and the New York Mets.”
“We never just walked down the street,” she continued, “we always had some sort of silly dance incorporated into each step, Giving a wave or a hello to passersby.” The ABC7 news reporter concluded the tribute by adding, “Bill Flay charmed everyone he met.”
Other Food Network stars, such as Jet Tila and Sunny Anderson, left supportive comments on the post. “I’m so sorry to read this and sorry for your loss,” wrote Bobby’s friend Alex Guarnaschelli.
Bobby then posted his own tribute honoring his father, writing, “Thank you for all of the thoughtful words for me and my family about my dad’s passing.”
He also shared a screenshot of an obituary he wrote for Bill.
“In a now infamous family moment, he asked his then-sixteen-year-old granddaughter to grant him one wish; ‘the only thing I want from you,” he said, “is for you to be an interesting person.’ Two years later, she wrote her entry essay to the University of Southern California about that moment, and she lives with that exchange in mind every day,” he wrote.
“William Francis Flay died knowing he got his wish,” he added. “With all his influence and accomplishments, that moment was the most important to him because he was around to watch it happen before his eyes.”
Bobby had a close relationship with his father. In 2022, the Food Network star shared two images of a younger Bill holding a baby Bobby on Instagram in celebration of Father’s Day. “Happy Father’s Day, Bill Flay…” Bobby wrote, “the greatest father, grandfather, friend, and role model.. to me and all who know him.”
The obvious resemblance of the father and son duo did not go unnoticed. Guarnaschelli commented, “Wow,” before adding, “Spitting image.” Fellow chef Laura Vitale called them “twins” adding, “I thought that was you.”
Bill and his late ex-wife, Dorothy, who died in 2018, divorced when Bobby was young. He is credited for getting the famed chef interested in the culinary arts after he helped secure him his first job at the Manhattan restaurant Joe Allen, which he co-owned.
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