Highlights
- Actor Tim Allen forgave the drunk driver who killed his father in 1964
- Erika Kirk’s eulogy for her late husband inspired Allen’s decision
- Allen had carried anger and grief for more than 60 years
A childhood tragedy
Tim Allen was only 11 years old when he lost his father, Gerald M. Dick, in a car accident in November 1964. Dick, a real estate agent, was driving his wife and several children home from a football game in Colorado when another driver swerved into the median on Interstate 70 and collided with their vehicle.
Allen later revealed that his father broke his neck and died in his mother’s lap at the scene. The experience left a lasting mark on the comedian and actor, who admitted to struggling with grief, anger, and guilt for decades.
Erika Kirk’s words spark forgiveness
On September 21, during the memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Glendale, Arizona, Kirk’s widow, Erika, delivered a eulogy that resonated far beyond the church. Speaking about the suspect charged in her husband’s killing, she said she had chosen forgiveness.
“I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it is what Charlie would do,” she said. “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love.”
Her message of grace deeply moved Allen, who later shared his own breakthrough.
Allen’s public statement
In a post on X dated September 24, Allen wrote that Erika Kirk’s words reached him in a way nothing else had.
“When Erika Kirk spoke the words on the man who killed her husband: ‘That man… that young man… I forgive him.’ That moment deeply affected me,” Allen, 72, said.
“I have struggled for over 60 years to forgive the man who killed my Dad. I will say those words now as I type: ‘I forgive the man who killed my father.’ Peace be with you all.”
Carrying the weight for decades
Allen has previously spoken about the impact of his father’s death. In a 2006 episode of Inside the Actors Studio, he described the day of the accident and how it shaped his life.
“As many times as I’d relive this — if you haven’t had a death in your family, I don’t suggest it — but it certainly changes every single thing. From your cells and DNA, it turns a different color,” he said.
He also admitted that the trauma made him dread November and the fall season, and that he eventually sought therapy to cope with the lasting pain.
A moment of release
For Allen, Erika Kirk’s message of forgiveness provided a turning point after decades of unresolved anger. His public acknowledgment marked the first time he said he forgave the driver responsible for his father’s death, closing a chapter that had been open since 1964.
