At Age 63, Dennis Quaid Reflects on Outliving His Father and Gets Emotional
Dennis Quaid reflected on his moments with his father, who passed away at the age of 63. The actor, who has hit 70 and is going strong, revealed that when he turned his father’s age, the realization made him wake up in the middle of the night.
During his appearance on the 3rd hour of the Today show, Dennis Quaid interacted with Al Roker and recalled the stories of his dad, William R. As the TV host asked The Parent Trap star about how he looked at his 70s back when he was a teen, the actor emotionally shared that he had no idea about his life in the future.
Mentioning his father in the conversation, Quaid recalled how his 63rd year of life made him remember William R. The actor said, “I turned 63, and I woke up in the middle of the night about six months after, and it just hit me. So I counted the days from my dad’s birthday to the time he died and from my birthday to when I woke up. It was the same number of days.”
He further added, “In that night, I was older than my dad had been. I still feel like he’s here in my heart and stuff, like that, but it’s… you become… it’s hard to explain.”
Relating to Dennis’ life story, Roker, who turned 70 the previous day, shared, “Here’s the thing: my dad passed when he was 69. I always felt bad that he didn’t make 70. It’s a very strange feeling to get past the point that your father did.”
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The Hill actor also talked about how music has brought joy. Quaid revealed, “It’s a celebration of life, you know? It’s also prayer. It’s just joy. I kind of figure at this part of life, I’m not reaching for anything as I was in, say, my 20s and 30s.”
Meanwhile, Dennis Quaid also shared insights into his personal life. The actor shares three children, including Jack Quaid, with his second wife, Meg Ryan. While describing himself as a dad, the actor claimed that he is more of a “dorky dad.” to his kids. In his 2023 interview with People Magazine, Quaid stated, “I kind of feel like a dorky dad a lot because… especially my daughter makes me feel that way. Very uncomfortable and awkward. Awkward. Teenagers are awkward.”
He further added, “I love being a dad. I really do. I think I’m a good dad. It turned out so well so far. Jack really turned out well. I’m really proud of him and Thomas and Zoe, too.”
Dennis Quaid is married to Laura Savoie and shares twins with his third wife.
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