Real Housewives of New Jersey star Margaret Joseph recently shared some sad news with her fans.
Her ex-husband Jan Josephs passed away last week. People Magazine confirmed that Jan died on August 26 from a sudden heart attack.
He was 74 years old.
Although the services for Jan’s funeral were held last week, Margaret only made the news public a few hours ago.
She shared a black and white picture of her ex when he was young.
The reality TV star wrote in her emotional post, “Today would have been Jan’s 75th birthday.”
RHONJ star Margaret Josephs revealed she spoke to her ex-husband before he died
She explained that her ex-husband died last week.
She wrote, “He passed away unexpectedly last week and a piece of us died with him.”
As expected, she said the news hit her hard, writing, “We are heartbroken.”
She revealed in her caption that she still maintained a good relationship with her former husband.
She added, “The night before he left us we shared a beautiful conversation of how blessed we are, our children all successful and happy, and that we could only brag to each other.”
Margaret and Jan got married in 1994 when Margaret was only 24. Jan had full custody of his three children at the time. They were between the ages of 8 and 16. They also share a 26-year-old biological son.
The two got divorced after 19 years of marriage. Margaret had an affair with her now husband, Joe Benigno.
Throughout the show and in her book, Caviar Dreams, Tuna Fish Budget, she spoke about how her divorce led to her being estranged from Jan’s children.
However, she has never mentioned any of the children’s names to protect their privacy. Her son has never appeared on the show either. She always maintained that her kids were off-limits.
Margaret said she still considered her former husband like family
Margaret has always been adamant that she and her ex shared a wonderful relationship despite their divorce. She said that she considered him like family and vice versa.
She echoed the same sentiment in her caption as she wrote, “He was my family.”
She also touched upon the different hats Jan wore and what he meant to different people.
Margaret wrote, “Jan was an amazing father, grandfather, friend, partner to his girlfriend. He loved everyone unconditionally.”
Margaret Joseph explains the thought process behind the photo she chose to honor her ex
She also depicted her ex as someone who was a lover of life.
He loved good music, “Motown,” working out, and Italian food, but “Most of all he loved his family.”
This is one of the reasons she elected a younger picture of Jan to honor him.
She wrote, “I chose this photo not only because it was one of his favorites but because he had a youthful spirit and will be forever young.”
She ended the post with a sweet message to her former husband, writing, “Happy Birthday my angel.” She added praying hands and broken heart emojis.
We are sending Margaret our heartfelt condolences.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey is on hiatus.