On April 18, 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo and his girlfriend, Georgina Rodríguez, shared the devastating news that one of their newborn twins had died. "It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away. It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel," the couple wrote. Undoubtedly it is the kind of pain that only other parents who have mourned and continue to mourn the death of their child can truly understand.
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Sadly, many parents do know firsthand what it’s like to lose a child. Even celebrity parents, who at times seem to lead charmed lives, have had to endure the death of a child. For example, Gloria Trevi, John Travolta, and Wisin know what Cristiano and Georgina are going through because they’ve lived it, too. Before I share more about them and other celebrities who have mourned the loss of a child, I want to express that as a human with feelings and more specifically as a parent, writing about the death of children is not easy. I cry as I write words that can only share details of what happened, but never the immensity of the pain and grief these parents endure.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez were only able to bring one of their twins home.
The couple has not shared the circumstances of their son's death and asked for privacy during what is a difficult time for them. On April 21, 2022, just days after announcing the death of their son, they shared a picture of their family after Georgina and their little girl came home from the hospital.
Nick Cannon shared his son Zen's story in a very raw and vulnerable way.
"I always noticed he had a cough and so I wanted to check it out," Nick said on his show. "He had this interesting breathing and by the time he was two months I noticed he had this nice sized head too—a Cannon head. We didn’t think anything of it. But I wanted to take him to the doctor for his sinus and breathing. We thought it would be routine." It wasn't routine, though. Zen had a malignant tumor that that had been causing a buildup of fluid in his brain. A shunt was put in the baby's head to drain the fluid, but ultimately it wasn't enough to save his life.
Vanessa Bryant lost her daughter and husband on the same day.
On January 26, 2020, Vanessa Bryant was hit with the horrifying news that her 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and her husband, Kobe Bryant, had been killed in a helicopter crash. How does one even process so much grief?
Ferdinando Valencia lost his 3-month-old son in 2019.
On April 24, 2019,the Mexican actor and his significant other, Brenda Kellerman, welcomed twins Dante and Tadeo into the world. On August 3, 2019, Dante died due to complications from bacterial meningitis. On the year anniversary of Dante's death, Ferdinando shared pictures of the baby and wrote:
"With the humility of understanding that I do not have you in my hands, I carry you in my heart today and always! Miss you!"
On the day of Dante's death, Brenda Kellerman said goodbye publicly.
Brenda shared a sweet image via social media of herself holding Dante and wrote: "8 months in my womb, 100 days in my life and an eternity in my heart I LOVE YOU DANTE Goodbye my Dante."
Gloria Trevi lost her first daughter.
In 1999, singer Gloria Trevi had a baby with Sergio Andrade, who was then her manager. The baby, Ana Dalay, was born on October 10, and by November 13 she had died. Gloria said in an interview that she had put the baby in her crib, and later Katia de la Cuesta, who performed with Gloria, brought the baby, who had at some point had died, to her.
In 2009, Lidia Ávila lost her 6-month-old daughter.
The singer shared that her daughter, Sofía, had died following surgery. The baby was born with some intestinal problems, which is why she had surgery at such a young age. On August 1, 2016, Lidia shared side-by-side images of herself holding her little girl and wrote that "there are no words to say goodbye to a little angel."
Wisin and his wife lost their daughter after only one month.
In 2016, Wisin and his wife had a baby girl named Victoria. Victory was born with trisomy 13 and was able to survive for only one month. When Wisin shared the news online, he wrote:
"THANK YOU MY GOD FOR 1 month of life 1 month of VICTORY. GOD GIVETH GOD TAKETH Blessed be the name of the Lord! PRINCESS #victoria I will see you again in heaven WHAT A BIG PAIN I HAVE GOD HELP ME I take the opportunity to thank millions of people who were praying for our family and for our Victoria Thank you because in all the gestures and words that they had with us we could see GOD every day #MISERICORDIA my princess has just passed away."
Lupita D’Alessio's first child lived only a few days.
The singer had her first child when she 17 years old, and that child lived for only 28 days. The baby died due to an infection. Lupita went on to have three more children: Jorge, Ernesto, and César.
Prince and Mayte Garcia had a son named Boy Gregory.
Prince and Mayte Garcia, who were married at the time, had Boy Gregory on October 16, 1996. The little boy was born with Pfeiffer syndrome, which resulted in his death just one week after his birth. Prince died on August 21, 2016.
Eric Clapton's son died after a terrible accident.
Eric Clapton wrote the song "Tears in Heaven" for his son Conor, whom he shared with Lory Del Santo. Conor was only 4 years old when he died after falling out of the window of Del Santo's 53rd floor apartment in Manhattan. This happened on March 20, 1991.
President Joe Biden has lost more than one child.
President Joe Biden lost his wife, Neilia, and their 13-month-old daughter, Naomi, when they were killed in a car accident in 1972. Then in 2015, Biden lost his son Beau to brain cancer.
Pierce Brosnan lost his wife and daughter to ovarian cancer.
The actor was married to Cassandra Harris from 1980 to 1991. The Australian actress died due to ovarian cancer. While they were married, Pierce adopted Cassandra's daughter, Charlotte Bronson. Charlotte died from ovarian cancer in 2013.
John Travolta and Kelly Preston lost their 16-year-old son.
In 2009, John Travolta and Kelly Preston grieved the death of their 16-year-old son, Jett. Jett reportedly had Kawasaki syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that causes seizures. While on vacation in the Bahamas, Jett had a seizure and died. Kelly Preston died in 2020 after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Mike Tyson lost his daughter when she was 4 years old.
This story is gut-wrenching. In 2009, when Mike Tyson's daughter Exodus was only 4 years old, she died by accidental asphyxiation or strangling. It was her 7-year-old brother who found her body on a treadmill in their home in Phoenix, Arizona. It seems that Exodus had been strangled by the machine's cord.
Robert Plant's son died at the age of 5.
Robert Plant was on tour with Led Zeppelin in 1977 when his son Karac died. Karac was 5 years old and died of a stomach infection. Robert Plant immediately and understandably abandoned the tour to go grieve with his family.
Mia Farrow has lost three children.
Mia’s daughter Tam died at the age of 17 in 2000 due to what Mia has described as a prescription drug overdose. In 2008, Mia’s daughter Lark died at the age of 35 from reported HIV/AIDS complications. In 2016, Mia’s son Thaddeus died of suicide at the age of 29.
Note: If you or any of your loved ones are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can always reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1-800-273-8255. They are available 24/7 by phone or online chat.
