Papa Pizza had a highly controversial request after his passing.
Nearly five years after Rosanna Pansino shared that her dad had died following a six-year battle with leukemia, she reflected on his death and fulfilled his final wish.
"Years ago, he told me and my mom that he would like us to take his ashes, mix it in with some soil and grow a marijuana plant and smoke him," she explained on the debut episode of her podcast Rodiculous Nov. 16. "At first, my mom was a little bit hesitant. She thought this is kind of hippie and people are going to judge us. But as time's gone on, we just really think that it's the right time to do what Dad wanted and to honor him the way he wanted."
"I actually have footage of us doing this together," she continued, showing herself filling pots with soil. "It was very emotional and special. I'm glad that we got to have these memories honoring Dad together."
The Nerdy Nummies host revealed that the marijuana plants had recently been harvested and she had a friend roll up the weed. Holding a baby blue case adorned with a bow, she showed off the pink joints.
She quipped, "If Papa Pizza could see this, you guys, he would just get a huge kick out of this."
Rosanna also highlighted the realities of losing a parent.
"Especially cause he was one of my best friends and my dad, it was just different," she told her guest, grief expert David Kessler. "I thought over time, the sadness would fade, but grief is always with me. It feels like it is permanently attached to me."
Following their conversation, the 39-year-old pulled out the joints to finally fulfill her dad's wish. After taking a pull, she admitted, "I honestly can't believe I'm doing this."
The episode also allowed her to share more about Papa Pizza, who became a beloved addition to her YouTube channel.
"My dad was a good husband to my mom," she said. "They were happily married for over 40 years until we lost him to leukemia. A caring brother to his siblings, a good friend, a neighbor, a great dad and one of my best friends. He raised me with the values he believed in."
"I think I'm just like my dad," she continued. "He was a social butterfly. I think that definitely rubbed off on me. He also taught me to respect life and not be wasteful. Don't take s--t from anyone. And just because you're small doesn't mean you can't make a difference. My dad was a badass and quite a little rebel, and I will be following in his footsteps."
In 2020, Rosanna shared the news of his passing on her YouTube and noted that although he was initially given one year to live, a new cancer treatment gave him more time.
"It gave us six more years with him that we would not have had," she shared. "My dad got to walk my sister down the aisle at her wedding. We got to go on numerous fun, family vacations. We got to spend so much time together because, for half the year, my mom and dad moved in with me here in California."
"My dad got to celebrate his 40th wedding anniversary with my mom," she added. "He got to become a grandpa for the very first time. I'm just so grateful that got to happen."