The actor and comedian is crushed

Kevin Hart has paid a touching tribute to his father, Henry Witherspoon, after he died at the age of 73.

The star took to social media with a slew of photos of his dad with relatives including Kevin's wife, and their children, and wrote a touching message. 

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"RIP to one of the realest & rawest to ever do it…Love you dad," he wrote. "Gone but never forgotten….Give mom a hug for me….y’all did good man. Thank you for everything….I’m a better father because of you. We will all make you proud."

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His fans rushed to share their condolences and commented: "I'm glad he got to see you on top of the world bro. Blessings my dude," and, "Love and Respect to you and your family.... Our Deepest condolences King".

Kevin has spoken before about his previously strained relationship with Henry, and told Stephen Colbert during that he has become a better father because of his own dad's mistakes. 

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"My kids actually think I’m the coolest dad on the planet," Kevin said. "I know why I am the way that I am. My dad has a lot to do with that – the mistakes that my dad made, you know, the decisions to do drugs, being in and out of jail, in and out of our lives. 

Kevin shared photos of his father with his family as he paid tribute

"I saw firsthand what not being present did, and because of that, I now know what being present means. I know what that can do, I know what effect it can have on your child coming up."

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He added: "Now, I was strong enough to deal with it coming up because I have a different attitude, I’m a positive guy," he said of his troubled childhood.

Kevin will be supported by his wife and children during this difficult time 

"I choose to go positive instead of negative a lot, and because of that, my relationship with my dad is amazing now!

"And my dad understands how I feel and how I look at things, and now my dad is focusing on being the best grandparent that he possibly can."

The actor didn't reveal his dad's cause of death, but he has been suffering with ill health in recent months. 

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