Josh Gad Mourns Grandfather's Death with Touching Letter: 'Today I Say Goodbye to My Superhero'

"My Grandfather, Joseph Greenblatt, succumbed to the wear and tear of 96 years," Josh Gad wrote in a message posted on Instagram

Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty

Josh Gad‘s grandfather, Joseph Greenblatt, has died.

The actor, 34, took to Instagram on Wednesday to pay tribute to his late grandfather, penning an emotion letter about his life and calling him his “Superhero.”

“Today I say goodbye to my Superhero,” he wrote. “My Grandfather, Joseph Greenblatt, succumbed to the wear and tear of 96 years.”

In the letter, Gad revealed that Greenblatt survived the Holocaust, expressing his admiration for his grandfather’s strength during such harrowing times.

“Not only did he build his own family, but lived to see three generations flourish, mature, and give back the love that was so unfairly stripped away from him all those years ago.”

Gad says it’s his grandfather’s character he will always remember, and what will allow his legacy to live on.

“He is a testament to persistence and the promise that evil, as hard as it may try, will always be defied by beauty of life and the light of those who refuse to let darkness define their destinies.”

He continued: “His legacy and the legacy of those who died and lived alongside him is now a part of history.”

He added that people should never forget the “lessons that our superheroes sacrificed to teach us.”