RHOC Alum Jo De La Rosa Announces Father's Death from COVID-19: 'I've Never Cried More Tears'

Jo De La Rosa/Instagram

Jo De La Rosa is mourning the loss of her father, who died earlier this month after contracting the novel coronavirus. He was 63.

On Monday, the original Real Housewives of Orange County star announced the news with a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram, alongside a video montage called "The Story of Us" created to "celebrate him and remember all the happy times we shared."

"It is with the heaviest of hearts I share I lost my dad to covid last week. This pandemic has been life-changing for many people and unfortunately, covid won this time," the reality star began her post.

De La Rosa, 40, described her father as "the type of person that would walk into a room and instantly capture people's attention."

"He was the most charming, outgoing, playful and most 'people person' of all people persons you would've ever met," she added.

The reality star explained that the nostalgic video montage features a variety of old photos to capture the story of "when my mom met [my father] all the way until they got divorced."

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The clip also shows several pictures of Contreras and De La Rosa from her childhood, including shots of the pair playing the piano and guitar together, sitting out in the snow and posing in front of a Christmas tree.

Jo De La Rosa/Instagram

Jo De La Rosa/Instagram

"I've never cried more tears in my life than these last few days," De La Rosa said of her father's death.

The PopCandy podcast co-host explained that her mother met Contreras at 14 years old when he was her guitar teacher.

"They fell in love through music 💕 He was a high school teacher, the most gifted musician, and had the silliest personality which I now realize is where I get it from. To put it simply, he was JOY ❤️," De La Rosa continued.

De La Rosa also revealed that she hadn't talked to her father for the past 15 years.

"He could do no wrong in my eyes and although my heart is filled with so much love for him, it's also shattered and feels so heavy for not being able to reconcile sooner," she said. "That's as much as my heart can share about our situation but I sent him an email when I found out he was in the hospital. In it, I told him I loved him and I wanted him back in my life."

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While De La Rosa said she is unsure if Contreras ever got the message, she shared that her friend reminded her that she will see her father again in heaven where they will "have the rest of eternity to be able to reconcile."

"To my dad - I love you. I forgive you. You meant absolutely everything to me. I can't wait to see you when God finally calls me and says it's time," she continued. "All I want is to be able to tell you see you again and tell you these words face to face..."

After sharing the heartfelt tribute, the reality star received a slew of supportive messages in the comments of the post.

"I am so sorry. I know your pain. You obviously had a wonderful bond. I'm praying for you and your family," Chelsea Lately star Heather McDonald replied.

RHOC alum Peggy Tanous also responded to the tribute with a string of praying hand emojis.

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