Jennifer Aniston Holds ‘Lovely’ Ceremony for Her Beloved Father, Soap Legend John Aniston

In an update shared by several loved ones in John Aniston’s life, She Knows reports that John has officially been laid to rest following a ceremony at a church that meant a great deal to Jennifer Aniston’s father.

According to She Knows, Aniston’s funeral took place at Los Angeles’ Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral. It’s the same church where Days of Our Lives filmed the “Jadrienne” wedding. Justin Kiriakis was the nephew of Aniston’s Days of Our Lives character, Victor Kiriakis.

Judi Evans, the actress who played Justin’s wife, Adrienne, also attended the funeral, sharing photos of the special times she and John shared inside Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

“What a privilege to honor our dear friend, #JohnAniston this weekend at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral. A lot of beautiful memories came flowing back to us in this sacred place. Thank you, John. We love you and we will miss your tender heart, sparkling wit, and kind soul,” Judi wrote.

Stephen Nichols also shared a video from inside the cathedral, writing, “Taking in the splendor of Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral after a lovely reception and service for our dear friend and colleague, John Aniston. A beautiful send-off for a beautiful soul. Much love to Sherry, Jennifer, Alex, and John’s entire family.”

And Thaao Penghlis also followed suit, calling the service Jennifer Aniston put on for her father “lovely.” “In honor of the many years I shared with John Aniston on Days of our Lives I went into St. Sophia & lit this candle to light his transition. It was a lovely ceremony held by his beautiful daughter Jennifer. To a fine gent, he will be truly missed.”

Actress Jennifer Aniston has made quite the name for herself. She catapulted to fame as Rachel Green in the hit series Friends and would go on to sustain a fabulous career for the last 30 years.

And whether you following Aniston throughout the years or not, you may not have known that her beloved father is an acting legend in his own right.  Jennifer is the daughter of soap opera superstar, John Aniston.

Our Hearts Break for Jennifer Aniston As Her Beloved Father, Soap Legend John Aniston, Has Died

Just in June of this year, Aniston was seen honoring her father at the Daytime Emmys Awards. John was given the Daytime Emmys Lifetime Achievement Award for his as Victor Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives.

John Aniston played the role of Kiriakis since 1985. He was 89 at the time of his passing which Jennifer confirmed with a post on Instagram.

Alongside several photos of her and her father throughout the years, Jennifer wrote, “Sweet papa…⁣ John Anthony Aniston, you were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew.”

She continued, adding, “I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace – and without pain. And on 11/11 no less! You always had perfect timing. That number will forever hold an even greater meaning for me now ????️I’ll love you till the end of time. Don’t forget to visit.”

His cause of death is not immediately known. 

While Jennifer has been open about her difficult relationship with her mom, it seems as though she was always close with her father. In fact, you may recall the several Easter eggs throughout Friends that paid homage to John Aniston and his legendary career as a soap star.

For instance, the character Joey Tribiani, played by Matt LeBlanc, was a soap actor who had a reoccurring role in Day of Our Lives. John’s real-life co-star Alison Sweeney also guest starred on the show as herself.

Our thoughts are with Jennifer Aniston and her family during this truly difficult time.