John Aniston appeared in his final episode of the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives on Monday.
Jennifer Aniston‘s Emmy-winning father passed away last month at the age of 89.
He was best known for his long-running role as crime boss Victor Kiriakis on the popular show for more than 30 years.
The plot of his final episode featured his unpredictable character with a bit of comic relief as he threatened to throw one of his nephew’s friends out of the Kiriakis household after chastising him for wearing holiday pajamas which he said looked like baby clothes.
The end of an era: John Aniston will appear in his last episode of the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives on Peacock Monday – pictured with his daughter, Jennifer Aniston during her Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony in Los Angeles on Feb. 23, 2012
According to Deadline, the storyline revealed Victor’s nephew Sonny (Freddie Smith) had been blackmailed into marrying his ex-hubby Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart) who had also sold compromising pictures of his nephew to tabloid journalists.
At the end of the episode, DOOL paid tribute to Aniston with a montage of clips of the actor as well as images of his past marriages.
The final shot was of Victor sailing his yacht, appropriately named after himself, into the sunset – classic imagery of one of the shows most controversial characters.
Upon Aniston’s passing, his daughter Jennifer, 53, took to Instagram to pay tribute to her dad with a slew of snaps of them together over the years.
The Friends star and her father had endured a famously difficult relationship but they reconciled before his death, as she previously detailed calling him every day during the coronavirus pandemic.
John first appeared on Days Of Our Lives as Dr. Eric Richards in 1969 but he departed the show after one year.
Chip off the old block: John was best known for his role as Victor Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives, which he played from July 1985
Childhood: A Young Jennifer Aniston, left, shared a loving snap of her and her father with the caption, ‘Christmas with one of my creators’
He returned to the show in a new role as Victor Kiriakis in July 1985 and continued playing the character for 37 years.
The role earned him a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2017 and he received a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
In June, Jennifer honored her father in a clip played on screen at the ceremony as Suzanne Rogers, John’s Days of Our Lives costar, introduced the award.
‘This is truly a special moment for me,’ Jennifer said. ‘It’s an opportunity to not only pay tribute to a true icon in the daytime television world, but it’s also a chance to recognize the lifelong achievements of a great and well-respected actor, who also happens to be my dad.’
Legendary role: John started as Victor Kiriakis for 37 years. The role earned him a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022
John shared Jennifer with his ex-wife Nancy Dow, who passed away in May 2016.
After 11 years of marriage, he walked out on Nancy in 1979, when Jennifer was ten years old.
Jennifer spoke about the incident in 1999 in an interview with Rolling Stone, saying it was the most ‘painful’ time of her life, before she reconciled with her father.
She said: ‘My mom told me. I went to a birthday party, and when I came back, she said, “Your father’s not going to be around here for a little while.”‘
Childhood photo: The actress, 53, took to Instagram to pay tribute to her dad with a slew of snaps of them together over the years
In her tribute: Jennifer wrote: ‘Sweet papa… John Anthony Aniston. You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew.’ She added: ‘I’ll love you till the end of time. Don’t forget to visit’
Jennifer added, ‘I don’t know what I did later that night or the next day. I don’t remember anything other than it being odd that all of a sudden my father wasn’t there. And he was gone for a while. About a year.’
She revealed she never heard from him once during that period, and explained: ‘He just called one day and said, “Let’s go see The Fantastickes.”
‘So we had a little dinner and saw the show. After that, I started seeing him on weekends, and this new way of life just unfolded.’
Jennifer said she was desperate to please him so he wouldn’t leave her again and that she asked him why he left.
Looking back: Jennifer has spoken of the difficult relationship she had with her parents, including her mother Nancy Dow (right), but she says she has forgiven them both
Candid: Her father’s passing comes after Jennifer spoke about the pain of her parents’ divorce and forgiving both her mother and father later in life
In her tribute, Jennifer wrote: ‘Sweet papa… John Anthony Aniston. You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew.
‘I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace – and without pain. And on 11/11 no less!
‘You always had perfect timing. That number will forever hold an even greater meaning for me now. I’ll love you till the end of time.’
She added: ‘Don’t forget to visi
Forgiveness: She said: ‘I forgave my mom. I forgave my father. I’ve forgiven my family,’ Jennifer revealed, which is a big deal considering she had been estranged from her mother for years
DailyMail
