Jayla and Loriana Allen, the daughters of Larry Allen, are paying tribute to the former Dallas Cowboys star after his sudden death at age 52.
“I don’t know how to write this message and what to say,” Jayla, 29, wrote via Instagram on Monday, June 3. “I am in complete shock. I feel like this is a nightmare and I can’t wait up. Every night I would pray to keep you safe. This doesn’t feel real, dad.”
Jayla noted that she’s “heartbroken” and doesn’t know “where to go from this,” continuing, “I was blessed with the best father who loved me unconditionally. You would do anything for our family and I am forever grateful. I feel completely broken and don’t know where to go from here.”
Jayla wrote that the “pain” of losing her father will “stay with [her] forever.”
“You were my best friend and twin,” she concluded. “People always said we were so much a like and that always made me smile. I know you are in peace and with granny💙I love you always and forever! Rest in peace.”
Alongside the sweet message, Jayla shared several snaps of her and Larry through the years. In one throwback pic, he held her in his arms while suited up in his Cowboy jersey, while in another, he proudly showed off a newborn Jayla.
Loriana, for her part, honored her dad in a sweet message. “To say this is the most painful thing I’ve been through is an understatement. you always made sure everyone around you was taken care of. the best dad a girl could ask for,” she wrote via Instagram on Monday. “i will forever do everything in my power to make you proud. i’ll forever cherish the laughter and love you brought and lessons you’ve taught me in life.”
She concluded: “i know you’re up there with granny looking down on us looking out for all of us. i love you so much dad, rest in love ❤️.”
The posts came the same day that news broke of Larry’s sudden death at age 52 while on vacation with his family in Mexico.
“The Dallas Cowboys are very saddened to share that Cowboys legend, Super Bowl Champion, Cowboys Ring of Honor member, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Allen passed away suddenly while on vacation in Mexico with his family on Sunday,” the NFL team wrote in a statement on Monday shared via X. “Larry, known for his great athleticism and incredible strength, was one of the most respected, accomplished offensive linemen to ever play in the NFL.”
The Dallas Cowboys, where Allen played from 1994 to 2007 before he finished up his football career with the San Francisco 49ers, noted that his “versatility and dependability” were “signature parts of his career.”
“Through that, he continued to serve as an inspiration for many other players, defining what it meant to be a great teammate, competitor and winner,” the statement continued.
The Dallas Cowboys also gave a shout-out to his family. “He was deeply loved and cared for by his wife, Janelle — whom he referred to as his heart and soul, his daughters Jayla and Loriana and son, Larry III,” the statement read. “The Jones family and the Cowboys extend their deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers to the Allen family and grieve along with the many other friends and Cowboys teammates that also loved Larry.”
