Longtime Fox News contributor Kat Timpf announced Tuesday that her father, Daniel “Dad Timpf” Timpf, died unexpectedly on the evening of May 7, 2026, at the age of 69.
In a somber announcement, Timpf stated that her father appeared healthy and strong in the period leading up to his death. No cause of death has been publicly disclosed, and funeral and memorial arrangements are private at this time.
Timpf followed the announcement with a touching tribute to her father. “It does not seem like enough to simply call him my father, because he was so much more than that. He was my rock, my hero and my best friend. He was loyal, funny, kind, selfless, hard-working, and so devoted to his children that it was impossible to be near him and not find yourself inspired,” she wrote.
“He was a writer, a painter, a sailor, and somehow knowledgeable on every subject from world history to literature to accounting. He was the most dependable person anyone has ever met.” Timpf noted that the family had previously experienced loss when her mother, Anne Marie, died in 2014 from a rare disease shortly after diagnosis.
My seemingly healthy, strong father Daniel “Dad Timpf” Timpf died very unexpectedly on the evening of May 7 at just 69 years old.
It does not seem like enough to simply call him my father, because he was so much more than that. He was my rock, my hero and my best friend. He…— Kat Timpf (@KatTimpf) May 12, 2026
The tragic announcement follows recent health struggles for Timpf herself. Last year, Timpf was diagnosed with breast cancer just before the birth of her first son in February 2025. She explained that her father drove from Michigan to New York immediately upon learning of the diagnosis and arrived as her son was born, which fell on her father’s own birthday.
Timpf highlighted the developing relationship between her son and grandfather, which included regular visits from Michigan and daily FaceTime calls. She last saw her father on the Monday before his death, when her son helped push his suitcase to the car before a planned family trip to Texas in June, the longtime host posted on X.
Timpf concluded the statement by requesting that, in lieu of flowers, her sister run the marathon for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the facility where Timpf received treatment the previous year. The cause was selected prior to her father’s death. She also mentioned that her cat, Cheens, had to be put down less than a week before her father passed.
Prayers and well wishes have poured in from the Fox News community following the heartbreaking announcement. “Kat, just gutted for you and your whole family. No words suffice. We love you,” said network political analyst Guy Benson.
“Beautiful tribute and so sorry for your loss Kat. Thinking of you and your family and keeping you in my prayers,” said Fox News correspondent Griff Jenkins. “This is heartbreaking and wildly unfair. We’re all here for you and thinking of you (past usual expiration date) and going to be kinder because of this,” added The Five co-host Jessica Tarlov.
