Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley announced Sunday that her dad had died on Father’s Day.
“This morning I had to say goodbye to the smartest, sweetest, kindest, most decent man I have ever known,” Haley wrote in a post on X which also included a picture of her embracing her father, Ajit Singh Randhawa. “My heart is heavy knowing he is gone.”
The former United Nations ambassador, who sought the Republican presidential nomination earlier this year, did not say how old her father was or give a cause of death. In January, Haley briefly left her campaign trail to visit her dad after he was hospitalized. Reports at the time said he had cancer.
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“He taught his kids the importance of faith, hard work, and grace,” Haley’s post continued. “He was an amazing husband of 64 years, a loving grandfather and great grandfather, and the best father to his four children. He was such a blessing to all of us. Happy Father’s Day Dad. We will miss you dearly.”
Ajit Singh Randhawa emigrated from the Punjab region of India to Canada before arriving in Bamberg, South Carolina, in 1969, according to Politico. He taught at Voorhees College and became a naturalized U.S. citizen six years after Haley’s birth in 1972, The State reports.
Haley, who ended her bid for the GOP nomination in March and said last month she’ll vote for Donald Trump in November, spoke about her heritage on the campaign trail and has expressed pride in being the daughter of Indian immigrants to the U.S. Trump, meanwhile, mocked Haley’s birth name—Nimarata Nikki Randhawa—seemingly misspelling the name on purpose in attacks on Haley’s candidacy.
