From sudden deaths and public tragedies to quiet suffering kept behind closed doors, each endured a personal loss so profound that it forever altered the course of their lives.
We know them for their blockbuster roles, chart-topping hits, and red-carpet moments — but behind the lights, cameras, and fame lie stories of devastating personal loss.
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker filming “The Fast and the Furious” in 2001. | Source: Getty Images
These 15 celebrities have all faced heartbreak that changed their lives forever, and as you scroll through, the tragedies grow deeper, with the most shattering loss saved for number one.
Celine Dion and René Angélil on their wedding day on December 15, 1994, in Montreal, Canada. | Source: Getty Images
15. Iman
Supermodel Iman said goodbye to her husband, David Bowie, in 2016 when the music icon died at 69 after a long battle with cancer. Even years later, her love remained eternal. In 2022, she stated, “He’s not my late husband. He’s my husband, and he’ll always be.”
David Bowie and Iman at the 7th on Sale to Benefit AIDS Research event on November 29, 1990. | Source: Getty Images
Iman and David Bowie at Hammerstein Ballroom during Keep a Child Alive’s 6th Annual Black Ball on October 15, 2009, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
14. Patton Oswalt
Oswalt was left reeling in 2016 when his wife, crime writer Michelle McNamara, died in her sleep at just 46. One year later, he confessed:
“Beyond my wife passing away, which is horrible, there’s also really horrific evidence that I might be dead and imagining this hell. If my mind were to create a hellscape, it would kind of look like this.”
Michelle McNamara and Patton Oswalt at the LACMA inaugural Art + Film Gala on November 5, 2011, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Michelle McNamara and Patton Oswalt at the “Young Adult” premiere on December 15, 2011, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images
13. Terri Irwin
Irwin lost her soulmate, Steve Irwin, in 2006 when a stingray barb pierced his chest while filming an underwater documentary. In May 2024, nearly 20 years later, she shared, “I totally got my happily ever after.”
Terri and Steve Irwin at the 2002 ShoWest in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Source: Getty Images
Terri and Steve Irwin with their daughter, Bindi Irwin, during “The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course” premiere in Hollywood, California, 2002. | Source: Getty Images
“And while there are a lot of wonderful men in the world, can you see another Steve Irwin? I just can’t. I’d be like, ‘I love that you’re a librarian and the dude decimal system is cool, but I got to go jump a crocodile and do that.’ Forget that,” she added.
Terri Irwin and her son at Steve Irwin’s memorial service on September 20, 2006. | Source: Getty Images
12. Kellie Pickler
In February 2023, Pickler lost her husband, Kyle Jacobs, 49, to suicide. She later shared, “One of the most beautiful lessons my husband taught me was in a moment of a crisis, if you don’t know what to do, ‘Do nothing; just be still.'”
She said she was leaning on her loved ones and the kindness of fans through “the darkest time in her life.”
Kellie Pickler and Kyle Jacobs at the 49th Annual CMA Awards on November 4, 2015, in Nashville, Tennessee. | Source: Getty Images
Kyle Jacobs and Kellie Pickler in Midtown, New York, on August 23, 2016. | Source: Getty Images
11. Sandra Bullock
In August 2023, Bullock said goodbye to her longtime partner Bryan Randall, 57, after a private three-year battle with ALS.
Sandra Bullock and Bryan Randall in Midtown on June 5, 2018, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
His family shared, “It is with great sadness that we share that on Aug. 5, Bryan Randall passed away peacefully after a three-year battle with ALS.” They added that Randall chose to keep his diagnosis private. Bullock had once called him “the love of my life.”
Sandra Bullock and Bryan Randall leaving their hotel ahead of the “Ocean’s 8” premiere on June 13, 2018, in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
10. Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg experienced unimaginable sorrow in 2019 when his grandson, Kai, died just 10 days after birth.
The infant passed away in the arms of the rapper’s son, Corde Broadus, who posted a moving tribute saying his son’s spirit would continue to inspire those who were struggling to find their light.
Cordell Broadus and Snoop Dogg at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28 in Newark, New Jersey. | Source: Getty Images
Snoop Dogg onstage during the 2025 BET Awards on June 9 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
9. Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel has never stopped mourning his “Fast & Furious” brother Paul Walker, who died in 2013 in a horrific car crash and explosion. In 2016, Diesel said, “The last three years have been some of the hardest of my life because of losing my brother like that.”
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker at the “Fast & Furious 5” premiere on April 27, 2011, in Cologne, Germany. | Source: Getty Images
In September 2025, he posted, “Twelve years… not a day passes I don’t think about your absence.” Diesel, who walked Walker’s daughter down the aisle in 2022, added, “Indeed, you will always be Brian, Pablo… and you will always be my brother.”
Vin Diesel walking Paul Walker’s daughter down the aisle from a post dated October 25, 2021. | Source: Instagram/comiclonilove
8. Venus and Serena Williams
In 2003, the Williams sisters were left shattered by the death of their older sister Yetunde Price, 31, who was shot and killed in Compton, California.
Compton Sheriff officers at the crime scene where 31-year-old Yetunde Price, the older sister of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, was fatally shot on September 14, 2003, in Compton, California. | Source: Getty Images
Price was sitting in a white SUV outside a known drug house when gunfire erupted. She was fatally struck in the head. Spokeswoman Raymone Bain said of the Williams family, “They’re devastated.”
Yetunde Price and Serena Williams at the 2003 ESPY Awards. | Source: Getty Images
7. Aubrey Plaza
In January 2025, Plaza faced an unthinkable tragedy when her husband, director and screenwriter Jeff Baena, died at age 47. His body was found near the Fern Dell Nature Trail in the Hollywood Hills.
Aubrey Plaza and Jeff Baena at the Grey Goose Blue Door Hosts “Life After Beth” Party on January 19, 2014, in Park City, Utah. | Source: Getty Images
The Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled it a suicide. In a joint statement shared with PA News Agency, Plaza and Baena’s family described the loss as “an unimaginable tragedy.”
Aubrey Plaza and Jeff Baena during the “Meet the Filmmakers” series on July 30, 2014, in New York. | Source: Getty Images
6. John Travolta
Travolta lost his beloved wife, Kelly Preston, in 2020 following a two-year battle with breast cancer. In a raw and emotional Instagram post, he wrote, “It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer.”
Kelly Preston and John Travolta at the Deauville Film Festival on September 8, 1991, in France. | Source: Getty Images
He continued, “She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many. […] Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered.”
John Travolta and Kelly Preston with their children, Jett and Ella, photographed in 2009. | Source: Getty Images
5. Lea Michele
Michele was devastated by the 2013 death of actor Cory Monteith, her “Glee” co-star and real-life partner. She later revealed, “For me, it was so hard…I just completely broke.”
Cory Monteith and Lea Michele promoting “Glee: The Musical Vol. 1” at the Roosevelt Field Mall on November 2, 2009, in Garden City, New York. | Source: Getty Images
On the 10th anniversary of his passing in 2023, she took to Instagram and wrote, “Hey you. 10 years. It feels like only yesterday that you were here and yet a million years ago all at the same time.”
Cory Monteith and Lea Michele at the 2012 Do Something Awards on August 19 in Santa Monica, California. | Source: Getty Images
4. Celine Dion
Dion’s world shattered in 2016 when her husband and longtime manager, René Angélil, passed away. She stayed by his side through his final days.
Celine Dion and René Angélil on their wedding day on December 15, 1994, in Montreal, Canada. | Source: Getty Images
She once told him, “You’re scared? I understand. Talk to me about it.” In turn, his final words to her were, “I want to die in your arms.”
René Angélil and Celine Dion photographed during rehearsals for the CBS Television Network special “Celine Dion: That’s Just the Woman in Me” on January 11, 2008. | Source: Getty Images
In 2025, the singer marked the ninth anniversary of his death, posting, “René, we can’t believe you’ve been gone nine years already. Not a day goes by that we don’t feel your presence […]. You were my greatest champion, my partner, and the one who always saw the best in me.”
Celine Dion and her children at René Angélil’s State Funeral Service on January 22, 2016, in Montreal, Canada. | Source: Getty Images
3. Michelle Williams
In 2008, Williams lost her former partner and father of her child, actor Heath Ledger. The Academy Award nominee was found dead in his SoHo apartment in New York by his housekeeper. He was just 28.
Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams at the premiere of “The Brothers Grimm” on August 8, 2005, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger at the “Brokeback Mountain” premiere in New York in 2005. | Source: Getty Images
2. Liam Neeson
Neeson fell in love with actress Natasha Richardson during their 1993 Broadway run of “Anna Christie.” The pair married in 1994 and had two sons.
Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson during the CFDA Honors Pauline Trigere’s 50 Years of Fashion event in New York in 1993. | Source: Getty Images
But in 2009, Richardson tragically died at 45 after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a skiing accident. Looking back, Neeson heartbreakingly recalled, “It was great doing it every night with her and falling in love.”
Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson at the premiere of “Blink,” circa 1994. | Source: Getty Images
1. Keanu Reeves
Reeves endured deep tragedy in 2001 when his girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, died in a car crash in Hollywood. Syme, a record industry executive, lost control of her Jeep Cherokee and struck three parked cars before being thrown from the vehicle.
Keanu Reeves and Patricia Taylor seen at Jennifer Syme’s funeral on April 7, 2001, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Police investigated whether drugs played a role in the accident, which occurred at 6:20 a.m. on Cahuenga Boulevard. In 1999, Syme had carried Reeves’s child, but the baby was stillborn.
Keanu Reeves seen at the funeral of Jennifer Syme on April 7, 2001, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Whether it was a sudden accident, a long illness, or a tragedy that played out in the public eye, these stories remind us that celebrities are also human.
