Fran Drescher’s father Morty Drescher passed away at the age of 94 on March 20, following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
In light of her father’s passing, the actress was unable to attend the New York Women in Film & Television’s 44th annual Muse Awards for Vision and Achievement on Wednesday, where she was scheduled to receive an award.
She conveyed her gratitude and regret for her absence through a message sent to a SAG-AFTRA rep, and paid tribute to her late father, according to Page Six.
‘It still feels untenable how permanent the loss of this great man is,’ Fran wrote. ‘His values were always in the right place. He honored and respected everyone equally. He understood the important things in this life, love of family, simple pleasures and living in gratitude.’ Fran wrote.
The Hollywood heavyweight credited Morty with the skills she employs as President of SAG-AFTRA since 2021.
Fran Drescher’s father Morty Drescher passed away at the age of 94 on March 20 following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease; pictured in January
In light of her father’s passing, the actress was unable to attend the New York Women in Film & Television’s 44th annual Muse Awards for Vision and Achievement on Wednesday, where she was scheduled to receive an award; Fran’s dad Morty (L) and mom Sylvia (R) in 2005
‘I am his daughter and I am so happy he got to see me not only achieve success as an actor, but even more importantly as a labor leader because doing volunteer work on behalf of the greater good was the ethics by which he raised me.’
Morty appeared on Fran’s hit sitcom The Nanny as both her fictional father, Morty Fine, and her uncle Stanley Fine during it run from 1993 to 1999.
He also guest-starred on two episodes of the WB sitcom Living With Fran in 2005.
In a separate statement regarding Morty’s death, Fran told US Weekly: ‘He was a good friend to many people both at work and within his community.
‘He was an amazing father who taught my sister [Nadine Drescher] and I to swim, ride a bicycle and drive a car. He was the best husband to my mom [Sylvia Drescher] and remained madly in love with her until his last breath.’
She added: ‘Always, the life of the party, he was funny and smart. Known within our circles of family and friends to always recite Casey At The Bat, one of his favorite poems.’
In a December 2023 essay for The Daily Beast, Fran had previously discussed her father’s struggle with Parkinson’s Disease.
‘He has gone from once being a white-collar systems analyst and very athletic to, at 94, now being an invalid, barely able to transfer from bed to wheelchair or take a brief supervised walk with his walker,’ she wrote.
‘It still feels untenable how permanent the loss of this great man is,’ Fran wrote; pictured in 2016
The Hollywood heavyweight credited Morty with the skills she employs as President of SAG-AFTRA since 2021; pictured in 2006
‘I am his daughter and I am so happy he got to see me not only achieve success as an actor, but even more importantly as a labor leader because doing volunteer work on behalf of the greater good was the ethics by which he raised me,’; pictured in 2005
‘But without question, the only reason he is still alive and has quality of life is because of my mother’s commitment to preserving that quality of life’ Fran gushed about her 89-year-old mother Sylvia.
She added: ‘My mother is by far the most heroic person I have ever had the privilege of knowing.’
Fran’s emotional messages come after her appearance at the 2024 Oscars where she spoke about presiding over negotiations during the SAG union’s historic months-long strike last year.
‘I feel very honored to be representing SAG-AFTRA as the president after a long and arduous strike and now we come and celebrate this marvelous industry and ourselves triumphantly,’ she said on the red carpet.
In 2021, Fran initiated her bid for the presidency of the SAG-AFTRA union, securing victory in the election against actor Matthew Modine in September of that same year.
Nearly two years later, SAG-AFTRA members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike action.
Fran promptly announced the union’s intention to strike on July 14, amid a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
This strike coincided with the WGA strike, which had commenced just over two months earlier.
She added: ‘Always, the life of the party, he was funny and smart. Known within our circles of family and friends to always recite Casey At The Bat, one of his favorite poems,’ ;pictured in 2005
Fran’s emotional messages come after her appearance at the 2024 Oscars where she spoke about presiding over negotiations during the SAG union’s historic months-long strike last year
Two major points of contention were streaming residuals and the regulation of self-tape auditions, including the use of artificial intelligence to digitally generate actors’ performances.
A tentative agreement was reached on November 8, 2023, and ratified on December 5.
Fran’s Hollywood career began in the 1970s with minor roles in films and television shows.
She gained widespread recognition for her role in the hit sitcom The Nanny,which brought her two Emmy nominations.