Dr. Mehmet Oz is mourning the man who helped him become the medical professional that he is today: his father Mustafa Oz.
The TV personality took to social media to announce that the patriarch of the Oz family, who was also a doctor, passed away at the age of 93.
The Dr. Oz Show host shared a touching tribute on Instagram, including several photos of his dad throughout the years and a heartfelt message about his impact on everyone who knew him, including his family and patients.
"Dad changed everyone who met him," Dr. Oz wrote. "I remember as a child running behind his fast-moving legs while he made hospital rounds. Even as he aged and his legs no longer raced along, his mind never slowed down."
He continued, "I fell in love with medicine after witnessing my dad do sometimes painful procedures on desperately sick patients who subsequently thanked him for saving their lives."
"The opportunity to help is a powerful aphrodisiac and the responsibility to act should not be squandered, so he insisted that he and his children were 'The Best,' a contagious admonition," he concluded.
On his website, Dr. Oz revealed that his father died from kidney failure, but even when the end was near, he still "had the grit of a warrior and the temper of a tornado."
In a second Instagram post, the Emmy winner wrote a farewell message to his late father, who left his home country of Turkey in the 1950s for a general residency at Western Reserve University in Cleveland, USA.
"Dad, we are all one shoulder of the serpentine obstacle course that you weathered for over 93 years so you take the straight and wide boulevard to heaven that you earned for every minute of your hard fought life," Dr. Oz wrote in the caption of a photo of his dad smiling.
"Enjoy the sweet journey while we earn your respect by fighting the battles that mattered to you. Love from the entire family."
Dr. Oz's daughter and former The Chew co-host Daphne Oz, also mourned her grandfather on social media.
"He was funny, fearless, tough, and the best bazaar bargainer," the 32-year-old wrote. "We will miss you, Buyuk Baba."
