Frank Gifford's Children Cody And Cassidy Comment On Their Father's Death

Following the sudden and tragic death of sports broadcaster Frank Gifford, a lot has been said about what a phenomenal husband and father he was. Now, his children are finally ready to share their thoughts on what their father meant to them.

To a large portion of the population, Frank Gifford was an Emmy-winning sports broadcaster for both ABC and CBS. To others, he was the husband of daytime TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford. In their 29 years together as a married couple, they had two children, Cody (25) and Cassidy (22). Although it’s only been a little more than a week since they lost their father, the children's sadness seems to have given way to gratitude.

"For 22 years I was blessed with an incredible man to not just call my father, but also my friend," Cassidy told People. "So though I selfishly may want 22 more, my gratitude far outweighs my sadness."

Her brother echoed that sentiment, sharing a quote from one of his father’s colleagues:

"The great [New York Giants co-owner] Wellington Mara once called dad 'the son any father would love to have and the father any son would be proud to have,' " Cody said. "He was right. God blessed me beyond words."

Gifford’s children weren’t the only ones to make a heartfelt statement about the late football Hall of Famer since his death, due to natural causes, on Aug. 9. According to CNN, Kathie Lee returned to her job on “Today” to give fans a message about how she is doing and the passing of her beloved husband.

“We laughed up to the very end,” she told viewers of Monday’s broadcast. “I just want everybody to know that this is a man who was at complete peace in his life. He might have been the happiest, most content person in the world at this point in his life.”

Recently Kathie Lee revealed that, in lieu of a funeral, the family decided to hold an impromptu party in his honor and asked people who knew Frank to come and pay their respects and give their condolences.

“We had a party,” Gifford said on the Aug. 18 episode of "Today" (via Us Weekly). “Frank hated funerals. He hated boxes. He hated to be put in boxes. He hated to get in an elevator, so we played Frank Sinatra all day long and we partied. The only criteria was, if you were there, you had to be somebody that he adored, so it kept it nice and small.”