Mark Consuelos, co-host of LIVE with Kelly and Mark, has reflected on the 'quick and painless' death of his father, Saul Consuelos, who passed away at the age of 87 on March 23 after a long illness. The 55-year-old Daytime Emmy winner shared his thoughts during an appearance on the I've Never Said This Before with Tommy DiDario podcast on Tuesday.
A Brutal Five-Month Journey
Consuelos described the period leading up to his father's death as 'a kind of a brutal five-month saga.' He explained that he had prepared himself for the inevitable, knowing that his father's health was declining. 'I knew it was happening like when I saw him, you know, that we all knew in five months, you know, this is going to happen whether it takes a year or two years, this is happening. And so I prepared myself for the eventuality that this was going to happen,' he said.
Praying for a Merciful Exit
The Spanish-born American revealed that he had prayed for a merciful end for his father, whom he described as a 'mythical character.' 'Thankfully, it happened that way very quickly and painlessly and it was so merciful,' Consuelos stated. He added, 'He's like the best man I've ever met. He's just, you know, everything good that I've kind of glommed on to of how I carry myself comes from him.'
A Life of Service
Saul Consuelos, a US Navy veteran who immigrated from Mexico as a teenager, served the United States for 30 years, eventually working at the US Special Operations Command headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. On April 27, the Consuelos family gathered for a celebration of life memorial featuring a Mexican ofrenda and mariachi band.
Coming to Terms with Loss
'The reality of him being gone hit, of him actually being gone,' the Scream 7 actor recalled. 'And although I feel his presence so much on me, like, not just around me, I feel him on me. Yeah, I'm going to miss giving him a hug or holding his hand or just, you know, laughing with him. So, I think that's probably something I've never said in my life is that I'm going to miss my dad.' Consuelos added, 'I've never said that. I've never said "I miss my dad" because he's always been in my life. He's always been available to me.'
Family Support
The 9-1-1 actor first publicly announced his father's death on the April 6 episode of his ABC morning show. His wife, Kelly Ripa, revealed that their three adult children 'took it particularly hard. This is their first loss that they've ever experienced in their lives.' Consuelos also spoke about his Italian mother, Camilla, who still lives in Florida. 'Now we got to take care of mom. We're trying to convince my mom to move to New York. She's such a character. She's very stubborn,' he said.
30th Wedding Anniversary
On May 1, Consuelos and Ripa celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. Ripa, 55, posted on Instagram: '360 months. 1,565 weeks. 10,957 days. 15,778,080 minutes and I'll be loving you always. Cheers to 30 years!' The couple met at a gym in 1995 and later played onscreen lovers on the ABC soap opera All My Children. They eloped in Las Vegas in 1996 after just one year of dating.
Broadway Success
Consuelos recently made his Broadway debut as Maurice Duclos in the Noël Coward comedy Fallen Angels, running through June 7 at the Todd Haimes Theatre. He expressed pride that his youngest son, Joaquin, also made his Broadway debut as the younger version of Biff in Death of a Salesman, which runs through August 9 at the Winter Garden Theatre. 'And to have my son on Broadway at the same time is absolutely nuts. It's crazy. I am so proud of him. Really, really proud of him,' Consuelos gushed.
Children's Achievements
Joaquin, 23, graduated from the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre & Dance and competed on the wrestling team. The couple's eldest son, Michael, will turn 29 on June 2 and has worked as an associate producer on The Real Housewives of Potomac. Their daughter Lola, 24, lives in London and released her debut EP Sorry, It's All About Me in December after graduating from NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.
