As if losing his mother wasn’t difficult enough, Carson Daly’s stepfather, Richard Caruso, died of bone cancer in October 2017, just weeks after Pattie Daly Caruso. The TODAY co-host confirmed the news on Instagram, writing, “Pops passed away today with absolute dignity & pride.” He also called him “the greatest man we ever knew,” his hero, and his mentor. Indeed, Carson had an incredibly close relationship with Richard who entered his life not long after the passing of his biological dad. As he told TODAY, “God blessed me with two incredible dads.”
Carson took time off the air to cope with his grief and when he returned to TODAY, he shared, “I realize the more pain that I feel losing my parents is testament to how much of an impact they made in my life.” Their loss also had a lasting impact. In January 2019, Carson said his New Year’s resolution was inspired by his parents’ loss, which overhauled his entire approach to life. “My thing is just 24 hours,” he said on TODAY. “Now I wake up and I’m like, thank you God, I got a new day, a fresh day.”
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As for their memory, it’s something he carries with him every day. In celebration of Father’s Day 2023, Carson took to Instagram to thank both dads, namely “the early love & strength I got from my dad who bravely passed when I was 5 & the enormous influence & love I got from the curly Italian golfing angel God sent me when I was 10.”
