"Real Housewives of New York" fans knew that Jill Zarin's time with her husband Bobby was running short prior to his death. She shared updates about her husband's cancer battle from time to time and let everyone know when it had spread. Still, that didn't make his death any easier. Jill and Bobby Zarin celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary on January 4, just days before he passed away. Soon after, Jill paid tribute to her late husband, lamenting the "hole in her heart" and praising him for teaching her what love truly is.

Bobby Zarin has been battling cancer for a long time

It turns out that there is a surprise in all of this. According to an Us Weekly insider, Bobby Zarin had cancer when Jill met him. “Jill feels lucky she had as many years as she did because he had prostate cancer when she met him," the Us Weekly source said. "RHONY" fans were already aware of Bobby Zarin's battle with thyroid cancer. It was reported that he beat that back in 2009 only to have the cancer return. We learned in 2013 that it had spread to his lungs. In November 2016, Jill updated everyone again, reporting that she and Bobby would "remain strong" despite learning that cancer had spread to his brain. Learning that Bobby was dealing with cancer the entire time he knew Jill is definitely shocking.

Not only is he one of the nicest and most respected men to grace the "Real Housewives" screen, but he is a fighter, who battled cancer for the better part of two decades.

Bravo says goodbye to Jill Zarin's husband

It was on January 13 that Bobby Zarin died. In the days since, it seems that everyone from Bravo has reached out or offered up their condolences.

Even Andy Cohen, who has nothing less than a contentious relationship with Jill, made sure to say goodbye to her husband, even though he wasn't present at Bobby's funeral.

Bethenny Frankel, another Bravo star who didn't get along with Jill, was able to put aside their differences and pay her respects at Bobby's funeral. Even though Bethenny and Jill have been at odds for years, she made sure to go say goodbye.

She also revealed that it was Bobby who recommended that she be cast on "Real Housewives of New York." Hopefully, the two women will be able to mend their friendship now.

Even though she's dealing with her own problems right now, even Luann de Lesseps paid tribute to Bobby Zarin after his death. In a touching Instagram post, she wrote that "Bobby will never be forgotten" and that he had the biggest heart. It seems that Bobby managed to make friends with everyone he met and he made an impression that would last a lifetime.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED