*Kathie Lee Gifford understandably missed Monday’s episode of “Today” following the death of her husband, NFL legend Frank Gifford, but her presence was felt through co-host Hota Kotb, who broke down while talking about visiting her friend after learning about Frank’s passing.
“She is remarkably strong, I’m in awe of her even today,” Kotb, 51, said of Kathie Lee to fill-in host Jenna Bush Hager.
Kotb said she found out about Frank’s death after her flight from New Orleans landed in New York Sunday. After touching down, she immediately rushed to her friend’s side.
“She asked for people not to come to her house yesterday, so I left the airport and drove to her house,” Kotb explained. “And when I got there, she looked at me and said, ‘I’m so glad you never listen to me.’”
Kotb said she was struck by Kathie Lee’s grace and resilience when she arrived at the house.
“You know how she’s always talks about her faith. And I know she lives her faith, and I believed it,” she said. “But I got to tell you, I didn’t believe it more, than I did yesterday when I saw her after that. Frank had passed away hours before, and she said she was rejoicing in his life and when she said it, Jenna, you felt it.”
The “Today” show host also noted that Kathie Lee reminded her that Frank’s passing was not a tragedy because he had lived a long and happy life. “A 4-year-old girl having cancer is a tragedy,” Kotb relayed, echoing Kathie Lee’s words.
“She said Frank Gifford was a hall of famer, and incredible football broadcasting legend and, more than all that, he was a family man. She said, ‘He built this family, he is a triumph. Remember that Frank Gifford is a triumph, he got to live to almost 85 years old.’”
Watch below:
Frank passed away of natural causes on Sunday at the home he and Kathie Lee shared together in Connecticut. He was 84.
The couple met during an episode of “Good Morning America” in 1983, and married in 1986. They had two children together, Cody, 25, and Cassidy, 22.
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