Erin Lichy Announced Her Dad, Eli Yitzhari, Died on the Same Day as the 'RHONY' Premiere

The ladies of The Real Housewives of New York City may be pranksters at heart, at least judging by Season 15, but, as the saying goes, sometimes you need to laugh to keep from crying. In between the faux pregnancy rumors and staged fights are real-life battles in their interpersonal relationships that the cast — Ubah Hassan, Brynn Whitfield, Sai De Silva, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, Rebecca Minkoff, Racquel Chevremont, and Erin Lichy — have shared since they've been on the show.

In October 2024, one of Erin's challenges happened off-camera. Hours before RHONY's Season 15 premiere, which aired on Oct.1, she announced that her father, Eli Yitzhari, died.

During her time on RHONY, Erin often discussed her love for her father and how he inspired her to chase her dreams. Here's what the Bravolebrity has said about Eli's untimely passing.

Erin's confirmed her dad's death via Instagram on Oct. 1, 2024. While she didn't go into explicit details as to what led to her father's death, she shared on the show that he had been sick and that she was afraid of sharing his prognosis with her and her husband, Abe's three kids, Elijah, Layla, and Levi.

However, when he ultimately passed away, Erin opted to focus on how her dad lived. In her tribute to him, she reflected on how growing up with a generous, supportive father like hers helped shape her today.

"My heart and soul. My best friend, my courage, my strength, my superpower," Erin wrote. "How grateful I feel to have had you as a parent to guide me, to uplift me, to teach me how to live life to the absolute fullest. Your generosity is unmatched and I have learned not only how many people you helped silently but what a lasting impression your kindness left."

The RHONY star added: "Knowing I won’t see you laugh again or sing to me on the opposite end of the phone is a heartbreak I did not know existed, but somehow I know you are still there. You have given me the greatest gift and I cannot feel anything but sincerely grateful to you for being my father."

Before Erin's father's death, she often spoke about him on RHONY. In a Season 15 episode, they filmed a scene together where she told him for the first time that she had an abortion when she was 18. Erin's confession coincided with the fact that she had opened up about her abortion in a November 2024 story for Glamour. Not wanting her dad to be blindsided by the interview, she shared the news with him, sparking a powerful exchange between them.

Eli died four months after they filmed the episode. In November 2024, shortly after she announced her pregnancy with her and Abe's fourth child, Erin reflected on the touching conversation. She said that, while she was "extremely nervous" to have the conversation with her dad, she was glad she got to experience the moment with him on camera.

"But the beautiful thing was, I shared it and then I got, like, three stories out of other people sharing back," Erin declared. "And that was just so incredible to experience."

Catch new episodes of The Real Housewives of New York City on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo.