Kaitlin Olson is sharing a deeply personal goodbye to her dad after a long battle. The High Potential actress posted an emotional tribute on Instagram on May 18 announcing that her father Don Olson has passed away. She called him her first love her first protector and her forever favorite person.
She wrote that it felt wrong to share something so private on social media but even worse to just carry on like nothing had happened. “Honestly it feels a little gross to bring this to social media” she said in the caption. “It’s too fragile and too private. But nothing feels more wrong than to just move on with life as if the worst thing in the world didn’t happen. As if everything that matters didn’t just suddenly end.”
Kaitlin explained how hard her dad had fought to stay with the family. She admitted that words fall short right now and nothing can really capture who he was. “The luckiest thing to happen to me in this lifetime was getting him as my dad” she shared. “Maybe the second was the gift of holding him on his way out. I love you daddy. I will keep all my promises. Just like you.”
In the post she included a mix of sweet memories a recent selfie together some childhood throwbacks a picture of him with her husband Rob McElhenney and one of her holding his hand. Rob commented that words felt impossible and there was no one like him. He added that his goal in life is to be half the man Don was saying he had never seen anyone love quite like that and he felt grateful to have been his son for the past 17 years.
Don Olson had worked as publisher of the Portland Tribune back in 2000 and 2001. Years ago he told the paper he always believed in his daughter’s talent and never doubted she would follow her passion even when he gently suggested she have a backup plan in college.
Kaitlin and Rob have been together for years and are raising their two boys Axel who is 15 and Leo who is 14. They have often talked about how family comes first no matter how busy their acting careers get.