Always Sunny and High Potential star Kaitlin Olson shared the emotional news on social media
Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney (Image: Getty Images)
Hollywood stars and Wrexham AFC figures Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson have received an outpouring of support after Olson announced the death of her father in an emotional social media post.
Olson, who is married to McElhenney and has become well known to Wrexham supporters through the couple’s involvement with the club, shared a heartfelt tribute to her father Donald Lee Olson on Instagram.
The actress wrote: “Honestly it feels a little gross to bring this to social media. 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. My dad died. My first love, my first protector and my forever favorite person.”
She added: “He fought so hard and so long to stay with us. I hate words right now. None are good enough to describe who he was.
“The luckiest thing to happen to me in this lifetime was getting him as my dad. 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.”
Content cannot be displayed without consent
Alongside the tribute, Olson shared a series of family photographs, including images of her with her father and pictures featuring McElhenney.
McElhenney, co-owner of Wrexham alongside Ryan Reynolds, responded in the comments with his own emotional message.
He wrote: “Words are impossible. There is no one like him. My whole goal in life is to be half the man he was.
“I’ve never seen a person love someone the way he loved you. I am so grateful that he lived and so proud that I got to be his son for the past 17 years.”
The post quickly attracted messages of support from fellow actors and friends.
Actor Dax Shepard wrote: “Don was a cool, tall, handsome, man-among-men who emitted high voltage integrity at all times.”
He added: “I thought many times when I was around him, ‘Yeah, that’s exactly who I wanna be when I’m older. That’s the kind of father, husband and person I wanna be.’”
Mary Elizabeth Ellis, actress in Always Sunny and wife of co-star Charlie Day, commented: “I love you. What a great guy. I’m grateful I got to know him some:) He raised a truly wonderful, loving, caring woman.”
Other messages came from other Always Sunny cast members such as Jimmi Simpson, who wrote “I love you, precious soul”, David Hornsby, who said his family was “sending love”, and Melanie Lynskey, who added: “Sending you so much love.”
Olson, star of the hit US comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and crime drama High Potential, has spoken fondly about Wrexham in recent years as the club’s rise under McElhenney and Reynolds has continued.
Olson told ITV’s Lorraine show last year of her affection for the city and football club, who earlier this month narrowly missed out on the Championship play-offs.
She said: “I love it. We love it over there so much. It’s just so much fun and we’ve really fallen in love, obviously with the football club, but with the town as well.
“The people are so wonderful and we go over as often as possible.”
McElhenney and Olson met while starring together on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and married in 2008. The couple have two sons together.
