Kathie Lee Gifford Returns to the "Today" Show And Speaks of Her Late Husband's Faith

Kathie Lee Gifford returned to NBC's Today Show on Monday, her first time back on the air after the passing of her husband, Frank, on August 9th.On the show Kathie Lee did talk about her late husband's faith: "That remained with him for the rest of his life. He strayed from his faith on occasion but his faith never left him," she said. "His world got smaller as his God got bigger and he'd want you to know that, that he died in complete peace. He knew every sin he committed was forgiven."

Kathie Lee said that Frank passed away instantly and painlessly while waiting to go to church. "I'm grateful that the Lord took him that way, because the only thing that Frank has ever been afraid of his entire life was being a burden to those he loved," she said. "He never wanted to be hooked up to machines. He never wanted to lose his dignity. I thank the Lord for that, for his grace to us as a family, and I pray his grace to all of you as well." 

Five years ago, Frank told the story of how they got together in a video for the Archive of American Television."I didn't like getting up in the morning," he said about filling in as a host for "Good Morning America." "Couple times I did it on the way home. Seemed to make more sense. I left PJ Clarke's at 1 or 2 in the morning, I had to be in there at 5, so why go home?"

On one of those nights-turned-early mornings, he met Kathie Lee."Right away she was so much fun. She was so alive and adorable," he said.

He tried to fix her up with one of his best friends. They all went to lunch together. It didn't work out.

"But we did," Frank said. "So television has been good to me."

They were married in 1986, on a beach in Bridgehampton, N.Y. It was her second marriage, his third.

 

 

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