Famous figures who lost their significant other

Rapper 600Breezy tragically announced on Instagram that his girlfriend of two years, Raven, took her own life. He posted a tribute to her, writing, "Baby why would you do this to me, why would you do this to us," and asking, "You kno [sic] how many people love you raven? [...] My woman my wife my life." He added in another post that it was "the best 2 years of my life," and continued, "God I need you please help me please. What did I do to deserve this ? you took my friends and my girl ???" He also shared screenshots of what appear to be her last note, and wrote in the caption, "My baby was hurting and I did everything I could to show her nothing but love and keep her going [...] Please when your loved ones are showing signs of any mental damage or health please take them serious. This is real."

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Tom Mann -

In a terrible twist of fate, 'X Factor' alum Tom Mann lost his fiancée on the day they were supposed to be married. "I can’t believe I am writing these words but my darling Dani—my best friend, my everything and more, the love of my life—passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning, 18th June," the singer wrote on Instagram on June 20. "On what was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives ended in irreversible heartbreak."

"I feel like I have cried an ocean. We never made it to the altar; or got to say our vows, or dance our first dance, but I know you know that you were my entire world and the best thing that has ever happened to me, Danielle."

Mann, who competed on the UK version of the reality television show, and Dani Hampson share a son who was just eight months old at the time of loss. "I honestly don’t know where to go from here, but I do know I need to use any strength I can muster for our little boy," he wrote.

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Hank Williams Jr. -

Country music star Hank Williams Jr. suffered a terrible loss as his wife of 32 years, Mary Jane Thomas, was reportedly taken from the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa in Florida to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. This is not the first tragedy the Williams family has suffered in recent years. Williams Jr. and Thomas' daughter, Katie Williams-Dunning, died in a car accident in 2020 at the age of 27. Thomas is survived by her husband, her son, and her three grandchildren.

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Kelis -

Singer Kelis tragically lost her husband, photographer Mike Mora, who died after a battle with stage 4 stomach cancer at just 37 years old. In a statement to ET, Kelis' management team confirmed the news: "Sadly, it’s true that Mike Mora has passed away. We would ask all to respect Kelis and her family's privacy as of right now. Thank you," said Steve Satterhwaite, of Red Light Management. Kelis and Mora share a young daughter who they welcomed in September 2020, as well as their son, Shepherd, while Kelis is also mother to son Knight, whom she shares with ex-husband Nas.

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Clarence Avant -

The legendary music executive Clarence Avant suffered a devastating loss on the morning of December 1, 2022. His wife, the former model and philanthropist Jacqueline Avant, was shot and killed by an intruder in their Beverly Hills home. Police received a call about the incident at 2:23am and arrived at the scene to find Jacqueline fatally wounded and no suspects in sight. However, a man believed to be the killer was arrested the day after the incident. Police say that 29-year-old Aariel Maynor was apprehended during a second burglary attempt after accidentally shooting himself in the foot. Maynor has an extensive criminal history including robbery and inflicting great bodily injury. He was on parole at the time of the killing. Jacqueline Avant was 81 years old and is survived by her husband of 54 years and their two children.

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Tom Ford -

Fashion designer Tom Ford lost his husband and partner of 35 years, the fashion editor Richard Buckley. Buckley reportedly died peacefully at home after a long illness, with Ford and their son Jack by his side. Ford and Buckley's love story began when they met in an elevator at a fashion show in 1986. According to Ford, it was love at first sight. By the end of the elevator ride, he already knew: 'You're the one.' That's it. Click. Sold." Friends and members of the fashion industry took to social media to pay tribute to the late Richard Buckley and offer their condolences to Ford.

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John Travolta -

In 2020, John Travolta's beloved wife, actress Kelly Preston, passed away on the morning of July 12, following a two-year battle with breast cancer. She was 57 and left behind two children, 20-year-old Ella and 9-year-old Benjamin. Travolta shared the news on Instagram, thanking everyone who had helped Preston in her cancer battle, adding, "I will be taking some time to be there for my children who have lost their mother, so forgive me in advance if you don't hear from us for a while. But please know that I will feel your outpouring of love in the weeks and months ahead as we heal."

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Elizabeth Hurley -

Elizabeth Hurley lost her ex, film producer Steve Bing, after he reportedly took his own life on June 22, 2020. Bing, 55, who was also the father of her son Damian, is said to have jumped off a Century City building.

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Diddy - Kim Porter passed away on November 15, 2018. For 13 years, she was the girlfriend of hip-hop mogul Sean Combs, AKA Diddy.

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Diddy -

Porter and Combs had three children together, but separated in 2007.

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Céline Dion - René Angélil married Céline Dion in 1994, after acting as her manager since 1981. In 2016, he succumbed to cancer.

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Céline Dion -

Dion eventually returned to performing following her husband's death, as well as embarking on other projects.

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Patton Oswalt - The American stand-up lost his wife, Michelle McNamara, in April 2016. She died in her sleep, aged 46.

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Patton Oswalt - Oswalt went on to marry Meredith Salenger in November 2017.

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Liam Neeson - The 'Taken' actor married actress Natasha Richardson in 1994. They were together until her death in 2009 following a skiing accident.

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Liam Neeson - The couple had two sons together. Neeson has gone on to appear in several successful films since his wife's death.

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Natascha McElhone - Martin Kelly, a plastic surgeon, married Natascha McElhone in 1998. In 2008, he died suddenly at age 43.

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Natascha McElhone - The succesful actress wrote a book about her loss, 'After You: Letters of Love, and Loss, to a Husband and Father.'

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Bo Derek - The American actress and producer became a widow in 1998, this after a 22-year marriage with director John Derek.

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Bo Derek - John Derek passed away due to cardiovascular disease. Bo Derek has since started a relationship with actor and singer John Corbett.

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Anna Nicole Smith -

In 1994, J. Howard Marshall, a wealthy oil magnate aged 89, married 26-year-old model Anna Nicole Smith. The union lasted just 14 months, until his death in 1995.

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Anna Nicole Smith - After Marshall's death, Smith became embroiled in a lengthy court case over inheritance issues. A regular on the celebrity circuit, Smith died of an accidental drug overdose in 2007.

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Courtney Love - Kurt Cobain, the front man for grunge band Nirvana, tied the knot with musician Courtney Love in 1992.

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Courtney Love - Cobain took his own life in 1994. Love continued performing, involved herself in art and fashion, and pursued an acting career. She supports victims of sexual abuse, AIDS research, and LGBTQ youth charities, among other social causes.

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Yoko Ono - John Lennon married Yoko Ono in 1969. Despite a near two-year separation in the mid-1970s, they remained together until Lennon's tragic murder in 1980.

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Yoko Ono - Yoko Ono has since kept Lennon's name alive by creating the Strawberry Fields memorial in New York City, the John Lennon Museum in Japan, and the Imagine Peace Tower in Iceland, among other initiatives.

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Roman Polanski -

The controversial director lost his second wife, Sharon Tate, in 1969.

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Roman Polanski - Tate was murdered, along with four friends, by members of the Manson Family. Polanski went on to marry Emmanuelle Seigner in 1989.

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Lauren Bacall - Humphrey Bogart met Lauren Bacall in 1943, when she was just 19 years old. The couple wed in 1945.

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Lauren Bacall - They remained together until Bogart's death from cancer in 1957. Later named the 20th greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema, Bacall received an Academy Honorary Award in 2009. She died in 2014.

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Elizabeth Taylor -

Mike Todd, an American theater and film producer, married Taylor in 1957. He was her third of seven husbands. Unfortunately, Todd's life was cut short in a 1958 plane crash.

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Elizabeth Taylor -

His widow enjoyed a hugely successful film career. Her private life was often mired in controversy, but in her later years she was applauded for her HIV/AIDS activism. She died in 2011.

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Theodore Roosevelt - The first wife of this former president died in 1884, after complications with childbirth. Alice Hathaway Lee was just 22.

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Theodore Roosevelt - Roosevelt went on to marry Edith Kermit Carow in 1886. They had five children together.

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Queen Victoria - Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and reigned from 1837 to 1901. In 1840, she married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

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Queen Victoria - Prince Albert died in 1861. Grief-stricken, the monarch fell into a deep depression and never fully recovered. She did not remarry, and died in 1901 at the age of 81.

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Thomas Jefferson - This Founding Father became a widow when he was just 41. He was married to Martha Wayles Skelton for 10 years, but she died during childbirth in 1782.

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Thomas Jefferson -

Jefferson made a promise to his wife that he would never remarry. However, there are reports that he had children with Sally Hemings, a slave.

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600Breezy -

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Tom Mann -

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Hank Williams Jr. -

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Kelis -

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Clarence Avant -

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Tom Ford -

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John Travolta -

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Elizabeth Hurley -

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Diddy - Kim Porter passed away on November 15, 2018. For 13 years, she was the girlfriend of hip-hop mogul Sean Combs, AKA Diddy.

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Diddy -

Porter and Combs had three children together, but separated in 2007.

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Céline Dion - René Angélil married Céline Dion in 1994, after acting as her manager since 1981. In 2016, he succumbed to cancer.

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Céline Dion -

Dion eventually returned to performing following her husband's death, as well as embarking on other projects.

12 / 39 Fotos

Patton Oswalt - The American stand-up lost his wife, Michelle McNamara, in April 2016. She died in her sleep, aged 46.

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Patton Oswalt - Oswalt went on to marry Meredith Salenger in November 2017.

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Liam Neeson - The 'Taken' actor married actress Natasha Richardson in 1994. They were together until her death in 2009 following a skiing accident.

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Liam Neeson - The couple had two sons together. Neeson has gone on to appear in several successful films since his wife's death.

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Natascha McElhone - Martin Kelly, a plastic surgeon, married Natascha McElhone in 1998. In 2008, he died suddenly at age 43.

17 / 39 Fotos

Natascha McElhone - The succesful actress wrote a book about her loss, 'After You: Letters of Love, and Loss, to a Husband and Father.'

18 / 39 Fotos

Bo Derek - The American actress and producer became a widow in 1998, this after a 22-year marriage with director John Derek.

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Bo Derek - John Derek passed away due to cardiovascular disease. Bo Derek has since started a relationship with actor and singer John Corbett.

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Anna Nicole Smith -

In 1994, J. Howard Marshall, a wealthy oil magnate aged 89, married 26-year-old model Anna Nicole Smith. The union lasted just 14 months, until his death in 1995.

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Courtney Love - Kurt Cobain, the front man for grunge band Nirvana, tied the knot with musician Courtney Love in 1992.

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Yoko Ono - John Lennon married Yoko Ono in 1969. Despite a near two-year separation in the mid-1970s, they remained together until Lennon's tragic murder in 1980.

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Roman Polanski -

The controversial director lost his second wife, Sharon Tate, in 1969.

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Roman Polanski - Tate was murdered, along with four friends, by members of the Manson Family. Polanski went on to marry Emmanuelle Seigner in 1989.

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Lauren Bacall - Humphrey Bogart met Lauren Bacall in 1943, when she was just 19 years old. The couple wed in 1945.

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Elizabeth Taylor -

Mike Todd, an American theater and film producer, married Taylor in 1957. He was her third of seven husbands. Unfortunately, Todd's life was cut short in a 1958 plane crash.

31 / 39 Fotos

Elizabeth Taylor -

His widow enjoyed a hugely successful film career. Her private life was often mired in controversy, but in her later years she was applauded for her HIV/AIDS activism. She died in 2011.

Getty Images

32 / 39 Fotos

Theodore Roosevelt - The first wife of this former president died in 1884, after complications with childbirth. Alice Hathaway Lee was just 22.

33 / 39 Fotos

Theodore Roosevelt - Roosevelt went on to marry Edith Kermit Carow in 1886. They had five children together.

34 / 39 Fotos

Queen Victoria - Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and reigned from 1837 to 1901. In 1840, she married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

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Queen Victoria - Prince Albert died in 1861. Grief-stricken, the monarch fell into a deep depression and never fully recovered. She did not remarry, and died in 1901 at the age of 81.

NL Beeld

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Thomas Jefferson - This Founding Father became a widow when he was just 41. He was married to Martha Wayles Skelton for 10 years, but she died during childbirth in 1782.

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Thomas Jefferson -

Jefferson made a promise to his wife that he would never remarry. However, there are reports that he had children with Sally Hemings, a slave.

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Famous figures who lost their significant other

To lose one's life partner, an ordeal that these stars have experienced

08/08/24 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Grief

Losing your partner is heartbreaking. However, grief can often inspire courage and hope. Some of these widowed stars achieved greatness after loss. Yet others found the mourning process more difficult to deal with. Browse this gallery of prominent celebs who managed to go on with life after losing their significant others.