Stars open up about grief and how they handle it

Wynonna Judd spoke out after the death of her mother, Naomi Judd. The pair made up the country music duo known as The Judds for decades, until Naomi took her own life in April 2022. A month later, Wynonna, 58, shared some thoughts on her mother's death and her struggles with grief. "I often feel like I’m not ever going to be able to fully accept and surrender to the truth that she left the way she did. This cannot be how The Judds story ends," she wrote.

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Wynonna Judd -

Wynonna went on to reflect on her mother's battle with mental illness, to which she ultimately succumbed, and how she feels it's now down to her to break the cycle of addiction and dysfunction in the Judd family. Her first grandchild was born just two weeks before her mother's death, giving her the motivation to take steps to improve her own wellbeing and be a healthier grandparent. Wynonna stated that she was feeling helpless in her grief but that she knew she wouldn't be able "to do this grieving thing all by myself, and that it’s okay to reach out for help. I will continue to fight for my faith, for my SELF, for my family, and I WILL continue to show up & sing."

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Prince Harry -

In April 2017, Prince Harry gave an interview with The Telegraph in which he spoke about the experience of coming to terms with his mother's death at a young age.

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Prince Harry -

He explained that he opted for counseling after 20 years: "It was 20 years of not thinking about it and then two years of total chaos. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I just didn’t know what was wrong with me."

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Michelle Williams -

In 2008, actress Michelle Williams spoke in an interview about how she handled, and helped her daughter handle, the death of her fiancé, Heath Ledger, who passed away in 2005.

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Michelle Williams -

She said, "Very obviously, for me and for her, there's a hole in our life. Of course the natural inclination is to want to fill it and make it disappear, but what I've come to recently is that it's impossible."

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Lea Michele -

'Glee' actress opened up to Ellen DeGeneres after the death of her boyfriend, co-star Cory Monteith. She described how, for her, it was important to keep going to work.

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Lea Michele -

She revealed, "Grief goes with you everyday whatever you're doing—when there are great moments, when there are hard moments—so I'd rather be at work with the people who I love that are going through it."

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Kanye West -

Kanye West spoke to Q Magazine about how he handled the death of his mother in 2007. He explained, "I had to get beat up, I had to lose, I had to be humbled, and I had to realize my position."

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Kanye West -

He went on, "I made a mountain for myself, I went to the mountain top, and I never touched God. You have to recalibrate and understand that you’re not a God in any way other than the fact that God is inside us. I am here to serve God."

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Khloé Kardashian -

In her book 'Strong Looks Better Naked,' Khloé Kardashian wrote about the grief she experienced when she lost her father, Robert Kardashian.

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Khloé Kardashian -

She wrote, "When I saw my father in his casket, I completely fell apart. I don’t remember the details, but apparently I was an emotional wreck, and I’m told that I was so distraught I actually passed out."

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Demi Lovato -

Shortly before the release of their 2015 album 'Confident,' Demi Lovato opened up to fans about the track 'Father,' which was inspired by their relationship with their late dad.

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Demi Lovato -

They said: "He knew he wasn't capable of raising a family and it was because of his mental illness. To know that it wasn't truly his fault really was saddening to me. I wanted to write about it, I wanted to process it."

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Michael Jordan -

Michael Jordan once spoke in an interview about his father's death. He said, "It was a very difficult moment for me and somehow I just kept my head high and looked at the good of it..."

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Michael Jordan -

He continued: "I thought about all the things that he used to say to me like turn a negative into a positive, and here I was dealing with him in that way. It was tough."

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Sylvester Stallone -

The first time that Sylvester Stallone spoke publicly about his son's tragic death was on an episode of 'Good Morning America.' He emphasized the importance of a good support network.

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Sylvester Stallone -

He revealed, "If you have good friends and your family’s support, it's just something that’s a horrible situation but...hopefully it will heal and you try to get through it but it's something that is a reality in life."

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Jennifer Hudson -

In 2008, the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister shot and killed her mother, brother, and seven-year-old nephew. Six years later, she spoke to the Guardian's Observer about it.

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Jennifer Hudson -

The actress and singer said, "I have definitely seen the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. You don't know how strong you are until you are placed in that kind of moment."

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Whoopie Goldberg -

In 2014, Whoopie Goldberg opened up about her mother's death in a clip from 'Oprah's Master Class.' She said, "I realized a couple of days after she passed that no one would ever love me like that again. I wouldn’t put that kind of sparkle in anyone’s eye, you know?"

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Whoopie Goldberg -

She went on to describe how losing someone causes realizations: "That’s the thing about when people pass away, you don’t realize, how much you depended on them."

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Celine Dion -

Songstress Celine Dion lost her husband to throat cancer in 2016. In 2018, she spoke to The Project about what is was like to witness him during his final years.

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Celine Dion -

She described how, after he died, it felt as if he had been "liberated from his pain." He had spent the three years prior to his death unable to even eat or drink.

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Bob Geldof -

Bob Geldof lost his daughter Peaches to a heroin overdose in 2013, 13 years after Peaches' mother died the same way. He spoke to ITV News after Peaches died.

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Bob Geldof -

He revealed, “When Paula died and Peaches a few months ago… the ability to try and understand, although it is incomprehensible with the immensity of the grief, is there. But it takes a long while for it to filter through from the filth to get to the front so you can itemize. I am not there with Peaches yet."

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Rio Ferdinand -

After he lost his wife to cancer in 2015, former professional soccer star Rio Ferdinand spoke about his regret that he had not talked to her more, been more open.

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Rio Ferdinand -

He said: "I wish I could have said more, I wish I could have done more... you hurt yourself. I would just shut her down and close the conversation, I didn't want to get emotional."

Sources: (Glamour) (Hello!)

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Wynonna Judd -

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Wynonna Judd -

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Prince Harry -

In April 2017, Prince Harry gave an interview with The Telegraph in which he spoke about the experience of coming to terms with his mother's death at a young age.

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Prince Harry -

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Michelle Williams -

In 2008, actress Michelle Williams spoke in an interview about how she handled, and helped her daughter handle, the death of her fiancé, Heath Ledger, who passed away in 2005.

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Michelle Williams -

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Lea Michele -

'Glee' actress opened up to Ellen DeGeneres after the death of her boyfriend, co-star Cory Monteith. She described how, for her, it was important to keep going to work.

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Lea Michele -

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Kanye West -

Kanye West spoke to Q Magazine about how he handled the death of his mother in 2007. He explained, "I had to get beat up, I had to lose, I had to be humbled, and I had to realize my position."

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Kanye West -

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Khloé Kardashian -

In her book 'Strong Looks Better Naked,' Khloé Kardashian wrote about the grief she experienced when she lost her father, Robert Kardashian.

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Khloé Kardashian -

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Demi Lovato -

Shortly before the release of their 2015 album 'Confident,' Demi Lovato opened up to fans about the track 'Father,' which was inspired by their relationship with their late dad.

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Demi Lovato -

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Michael Jordan -

Michael Jordan once spoke in an interview about his father's death. He said, "It was a very difficult moment for me and somehow I just kept my head high and looked at the good of it..."

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Michael Jordan -

He continued: "I thought about all the things that he used to say to me like turn a negative into a positive, and here I was dealing with him in that way. It was tough."

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Sylvester Stallone -

The first time that Sylvester Stallone spoke publicly about his son's tragic death was on an episode of 'Good Morning America.' He emphasized the importance of a good support network.

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Sylvester Stallone -

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Jennifer Hudson -

In 2008, the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson's sister shot and killed her mother, brother, and seven-year-old nephew. Six years later, she spoke to the Guardian's Observer about it.

Getty Images

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Jennifer Hudson -

The actress and singer said, "I have definitely seen the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. You don't know how strong you are until you are placed in that kind of moment."

Getty Images

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Whoopie Goldberg -

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Whoopie Goldberg -

She went on to describe how losing someone causes realizations: "That’s the thing about when people pass away, you don’t realize, how much you depended on them."

Getty Images

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Celine Dion -

Songstress Celine Dion lost her husband to throat cancer in 2016. In 2018, she spoke to The Project about what is was like to witness him during his final years.

Getty Images

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Celine Dion -

She described how, after he died, it felt as if he had been "liberated from his pain." He had spent the three years prior to his death unable to even eat or drink.

Getty Images

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Bob Geldof -

Bob Geldof lost his daughter Peaches to a heroin overdose in 2013, 13 years after Peaches' mother died the same way. He spoke to ITV News after Peaches died.

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Bob Geldof -

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Rio Ferdinand -

After he lost his wife to cancer in 2015, former professional soccer star Rio Ferdinand spoke about his regret that he had not talked to her more, been more open.

Getty Images

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Rio Ferdinand -

He said: "I wish I could have said more, I wish I could have done more... you hurt yourself. I would just shut her down and close the conversation, I didn't want to get emotional."

Sources: (Glamour) (Hello!)

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Stars open up about grief and how they handle it

These famous figures have all lost someone near and dear

22/06/24 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Mourning

Losing someone close is one of the most difficult things, if not the most difficult thing, we experience in life. There is no way of getting round it: grief is painful and sometimes it never goes away.

Of course, everyone's experience is different and certain methods of coping may work for one person and not the next. However, it can be helpful to hear what others have to say about how they got through this difficult time.

Check out this gallery to find out what these celebs have to say on the topic.