Man nearly forgot what his late dad sounded like — until his daughter found an old YouTube clip

In a recent Instagram video from Quincie and Zach (@quincieandzach), a daughter surprises her father with something he hadn’t experienced in nearly four decades — hearing his own dad’s voice. The footage, recorded during a family dinner, captures the exact moment a long-lost interview surfaces on a phone screen, bringing back a piece of someone who had been gone for most of her dad’s life.

"My dad lost his father when he was younger," she said in the video. Years after that devastating loss, another tragedy followed when a fire destroyed everything he had left of his dad. "All his photos of his dad, videos, etc," his daughter shared. But just as suddenly as they were lost, one small trace reappeared, completely by chance. "We found an old interview of him that got posted out of the blue," she explained. Her grandfather had worked as a harness racer in the 1980s, and this long-forgotten video had been uploaded to YouTube not even 24 hours before the couple happened to search his name. "This was the first time he’s heard his dad’s voice in decades," she said.

Quincie's dad, visibly emotional, listened to his father's voice intently. "I have not heard my dad’s voice since 1985," he said. His face flits somewhere between wonder, disbelief, and gratitude. In the caption, Quincie mentioned that the moment happened while Quincie and Zach were on their honeymoon. Out of pure curiosity, Zach decided to search for her grandfather, someone Quincie herself had never met. That search led them to the freshly posted video — a full interview from a race that took place decades ago. For Quincie’s dad, it was the only surviving record of his father’s voice. "It was special for all of us, but especially for my dad!! So thankful for that random person who decided to post this interview to the internet DECADES later!! So cool to have this footage now. My dad’s reaction was so, so sweet," she wrote.

Quincie's dad's reaction reflects how hearing his father’s voice triggered a powerful emotional reconnection, a benign yet deeply meaningful sensory experience. And while the science behind these moments varies, a review by the International Consortium for Hallucination Research found that between 47–82% of people report sensory or quasi-sensory impressions of someone who has died — most commonly auditory experiences — with the majority finding them benign or comforting.

The moment struck a chord with many viewers, and they expressed what it meant to hear a loved one’s voice again after so long. @eispy30 commented, "Photos are wonderful, but the voice really evokes the person’s being." @sammijoryan added, "I lost my dad 3 years ago. I’m lucky to have home movies and videos, but I don’t think I’ve actually heard his voice since he died. This is so bittersweet." @lfischface wrote, "How wonderful for him to have this video. To hear his voice! So special." @.a.k.s.h.a.r.a. shared, "It must have been so difficult for him, yet he brought up such a beautiful and caring daughter." @_moodlog reflected, "Somehow keep forgetting that my parents are someone's little baby too."

You can follow Quincie and Zach (@quincieandzach) for more of the couple's content.