Jennifer shared the news of her father's passing in an Instagram post on Monday. No cause of death was disclosed.

William John Garner, who worked as a chemical engineer for Union Carbide, died over the Easter weekend.

“My dad passed peacefully Saturday afternoon. We were with him, singing Amazing Grace as he left us (did we carry him across or scare him away— valid question.)

“While there is no tragedy in the death of an 85-year-old man who lived a healthy, wonderful life, I know grief is unavoidable, waiting around unexpected corners. Today is for gratitude,” Jennifer wrote alongside a throwback photo of the father-daughter pair.

The 51-year-old actor said she and her family are grateful for her father's gentle demeanour and quiet strength.

“For how he teased with a mischievous smile, and for the way he invented the role of all in, ever patient girl dad. We are grateful for his work ethic, leadership and faith,” she added.

Garner also thanked West Virginia's Charleston Area Medical Center and City of Hope for their medical care of William John, which she noted “extended Dad’s life and gave him time to be in his favorite spots— surrounded by daughters and grandchildren, cheering for his beloved Aggies, captaining a boat, and— most of all—next to his wife of 59 years, our Mom.”

“There is so much to say about my dad— my sisters and I will never be done talking about how wonderful he was, so bear with us. But for today I share these memories with my appreciation for the kind and brilliant man, father, and grandfather he was, as well as the loving legacy he left behind,” she said.