Heather Locklear Mourns the Loss of Her 'Brilliant' Father Bill: 'Love of My Life'

The actress announced the news of her father's death on Instagram on June 12

Heather Locklear is mourning the loss of her father.

On June 12, the Melrose Place alum, 62, posted a photo of her father Bill Locklear on Instagram as she shared the news of his death with her followers, calling him "the most brilliant man I have ever known."

"The bar is oh so high," she wrote. "The love of my life. The few the proud. I love you dad. RIP."

A source tells PEOPLE he had been "ailing for a while" and was hospitalized in February. "Obviously it was a very stressful time for the family," the source says.

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Dawson's Creek star Mary-Margaret Humes paid tribute to her friend's loss, writing in a comment on the post, "I remember meeting him when I was with you many years ago …he was so handsome and kind … sending love to you and your family today. Godspeed sweet dad ❤️💫."

In July 2019, Locklear had posted a video of her father in honor of his 90th birthday as she wrote, "Happy 90th Birthday to my hero" in the caption.

"Happy news that you have brought me today, to be part of your life, all the rest of your life," her father said in the video. "Happy 90th birthday to each of you."

Last May, she similarly marked her mother's milestone birthday with a post, writing alongside a sweet photo of her mom and a dog, "Happy Birthday my amazing mom. You know 90 is the new 40!!! So much love."

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The post announcing her father's death marked Locklear's first in nearly two months, as her last post had been a cute video of her dog with a lookalike stuffed animal toy.

Prior to that, she had shared the happy news of her daughter Ava Sambora's engagement to her longtime boyfriend Tyler Farrar in a series of posts on Instagram.

"Second best day of my life. First was the day she was born," Locklear wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of Ava, 26, who she shares with ex-husband Richie Sambora, and her fiancée. "Sweetest couple ever. Congratulations!"

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After she turned 60, the actress told PEOPLE in 2021 that as she was "getting older," she was feeling happy — and "so grateful," in part thanks to her parents' support.

"I don't really give a hoot. I don't give a hoot how I look. My parents still love me. My daughter loves me," she said. "I feel young. I'm a young 60. It's all about perspective."

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