Gwyneth's Father's Day Tribute Is A Tearjerker

On Father's Day, when you're busy grabbing brunch and watching TV with your dad, it's easy to forget that many people don't have the luxury of having their own fathers by their side. For some, the holiday is a difficult reminder of the loss of a parent and friend, a day that's bound to bring up sad memories and painful emotions. Some of those spending this Sunday without their dads choose to pay tribute to them through heartfelt messages, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, who wrote a moving ode to her late dad, Bruce Paltrow, on Instagram Sunday morning.

In the sweet post, Gwyneth includes an adorable throwback photo taken sometime during her childhood, featuring her younger self in the arms of her father, a director and producer who passed away in 2002 of complications from oral cancer and pneumonia. "A friend once said to me right after my father died, 'everyone has a father, but not everyone has a daddy,'" she writes. "Brucie, you were both. To say that I miss you is an understatement. Happy Father's Day to you, wherever you are. You were the best of the best."

So moving, and so sad. Gwyneth was only 30 years old when her father passed away, and she's spoken previously about how hard the loss was for her and her family. On Howard Stern's radio show in January, she called Bruce the "love of her life," and back in 2012, she revealed to The Sun that she still talked to her father, always keeping his wedding ring close by.

Gwyneth, of course, is a parent herself now, and the loss of her father has surely affected her relationship with her children. As she explained to The Sun, Bruce's death may have caused her tremendous pain, but it also gave her the tools she needed to live a life that mattered.

Said the actress, "Half the reason my life is good and has real, true value is that he died. I'd obviously rather have him alive, but he gave me so much in his death."

Well said. Check out Gwyneth's moving tribute below, and be sure to give your own dad an extra-long hug this Father's Day.

Image: Getty Images; GwynethPaltrow/Instagram