Jock Zonfrillo's daughter shares heartbreaking tribute to late MasterChef star: 'Missing you'

Late MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo's daughter has penned a poignant tribute to her dad, on what would have been his 47th birthday.

In May, the 46-year-old was found unresponsive at Carlton’s Zagame‘s House on Lygon St on the same day the new season of MasterChef Australia was meant to start.

On Friday, Jock's eldest daughter, Ava Zonfrillo, took to Instagram to pay tribute to her late dad.

Alongside a black and white photo of the pair eating Ava wrote: "Missing you more everyday. Happy Birthday dad."

RELATED:

• Jock Zonfrillo's wife shares heartbreaking photo: 'One year ago'

• MasterChef's Andy Allen pays his own tribute to Jock Zonfrillo after Logies snub

• MasterChef fans left fuming over Logies crowd's reaction to Jock Zonfrillo tribute

Back in May, Ava took to her Instagram to share a few words about her late dad three weeks after he passed away, writing: “Still can’t accept that we’ll be remembering you for more time than we had you. but it doesn’t mean we’ll love you any less.

“I love you dad, always," the 22-year-old finished.

The post was accompanied by eight photos and two videos of Zonfrillo, some of them featuring the father and daughter together both in Ms Zonfrillo’s childhood and some more recent snaps.

One of the videos is a short loop of Zonfrillo blowing a big, exaggerated kiss to the camera.

Ava Zonfrillo and sister Sophia were Jock's adult children of a previous marriage, while Zonfrillo’s two youngest children he had with his third wife, Lauren Fried.

Jock Zonfrillo's death

The Glasgow-born star was found dead at 2am in Melbourne on May 1, after police received a call requesting a “welfare check”.

Jock's family released a statement confirming his passing, saying: “With completely shattered hearts and without knowing how we can possibly move through life without him, we are devastated to share that Jock passed away yesterday.

“So many words can describe him, so many stories can be told, but at this time we’re too overwhelmed to put them into words. For those who crossed his path, became his mate, or were lucky enough to be his family, keep this proud Scot in your hearts when you have your next whisky.

“We implore you to please let us grieve privately as we find a way to navigate through this and find space on the other side to celebrate our irreplaceable husband, father, brother, son and friend.”

Channel 10 also released a statement confirmed that the premiere episode of the 2023 season of MasterChef had been postponed, subsequently airing it a week later.

Jock was farewelled at a private funeral in Sydney on Saturday 13th May.

Never miss a thing. Sign up to Yahoo Lifestyle’s daily newsletter.

Or if you have a story idea, email us at lifestyle.tips@yahooinc.com.