How Did Gizelle’s Dad Die From RHOP? See Her Touching Tribute
Jason Pham
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Ever since the passing of her father, Bravo fans have wondered how Gizelle’s died from RHOP and what caused his death.
Gizelle Bryant is an original cast member on The Real Housewives of Potomac is Bravo’s reality TV series following the personal and professional lives of wealthy women living in Potomac, Maryland. The series—which is a part of Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise featuring 11 cities across the world—premiered in 2016 and is the eighth installment in the Real Housewives franchise.
Gizelle is one of four remaining original cast members on The Real Housewives of Potomac in Season 8, along with Ashley Darby, Robyn Dixon, and Karen Huger. The Season 8 cast also includes Candiace Dillard Bassett, Wendy Osefo, Mia Thornton, new Housewife Nneka Ihim, and Friends Charisse Jackson Jordan, and Keiarna Stewart.
In July 2023, Gizelle announced the sad news that her father, civil rights activist Curtis Graves, had died suddenly. Graves was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1967 to 1973, representing the Democratic Party. He was also one of three Black members elected in 1966 and one of the first since 1896. He also held a 30-year career at National Aeronautic and Space Administration, where he worked in NASA’s Academic Affairs Division before becoming its Director of Civil Affairs.
Congress recognized Graves for his “distinguished public service career,” which included working with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in July 2015. “On behalf of the people of Maryland’s Eighth Congressional District, and in anticipation of his seventy-seventh birthday on August 26, 2015, I would like to thank Curtis M. Graves for his lifelong career of public service and for his many contributions to our nation,” U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, who was a Maryland Congressman at the time, previously said. “I wish him and his family all the best in the years to come.”
So how did Gizelle’s dad die from RHOP and what happened to him? Read on for her touching tribute.
How did Gizelle’s dad die from RHOP?
How did Gizelle’s dad die from RHOP? Curtis Graves, famed civil rights activist and father of The Real Housewives of Potomac star Gizelle Bryant, died on July 26, 2023. He was 84 years old. Gizelle announced the death of her father in an Instagram post two days later on July 28, 2023, with a photo of them together with her three daughters, Grace, Angel, and Adore, whom she shares with ex-husband, Jamal Harrison Bryant. “Thank you for being the best Dad that a little girl could ever want or need. I will miss you everyday of my life ❤️,” she captioned the photo.
“When his brain cancer was diagnosed on July 10, he opted for an aggressive surgery, knowing its outcome was uncertain; he died 12 days later,” his obituary read. “Curtis was never a halfway guy; in living-and in dying-he went for the gold. But as all of us know, it was we-who loved him and had the privilege of spending parts of our lives with him”
According to his obituary, Gizelle’s farther lived in Tucker, Georgia — a town just outside of Atlanta — at the time of his death. He moved there after retiring in 2003 and lived there for 20 years with his wife until his passing. “At home, they hosted big parties, with Curtis cooking barbecue, gumbo, and spiked bread pudding for 30,” his obituary read. “Like his mother, grandmothers, and aunts before him, he was a great Creole cook.”
Following the death of her father in July 2023, Gizelle shared an Instagram post on July 30, 2023, of her and her Real Housewives of Potomac cast members, Mia Thornton, Nneka Ihim, Ashley Darby, and Charisse Jackson Jordan, at a restaurant. “When your girlfriends pick you up and take you out to make you feel better. #LoveTheseLadies #Grateful,” she captioned the post.
Real Housewives of Potomac airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. on Bravo and is available to stream on Peacock. Here’s how to watch it for free.
Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives from the People Who Lived It
For more on The Real Housewives, check out the 2021 book, Not All Diamonds and Rose: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives from the People Who Lived It . The number-one New York Times Bestseller, written by People reporter Dave Quinn, takes readers through the history of the Real Housewives franchise, from its first season with The Real Housewives of Orange County in 2006 to how it became the pop culture phenomenon Bravoholics know today with millions of fans across the world. Told through interviews with almost every Housewife, producer, network executive—including host Andy Cohen—who has worked on The Real Housewives, the book is a must-read for diehard and casual Bravo fans alike. “I like to think of Not All Diamonds and Rosé as the ultimate reunion. I know readers will be surprised, entertained, and even shocked at what’s in store,” Cohen said.
