This is a list of celebrities whose children completed suicide, with photos. Many of these children were known for their famous parent's celebrity status, though their deaths are tragedies no matter the circumstances. Famous children can have a hard time establishing names for themselves. Many try to escape their parents' shadows but fall short of achieving the high statuses to which they've grown accustomed. Due to this, the children born to famous parent often collapse under domicile insecurity. Hollywood actor Ray Milland lost his son, Daniel Milland, to suicide in 1981. Cheyenne Brando, daughter of Marlon Brando, died by completing suicide at her mother's house. Other suicides by children of celebs include Willie Nelson's son Billy and Paul Newman's kid Scott. The was sadly also the cause of death for Jenny Lee Arness, actor James Arness's daughter. Gregory Peck, the star of To Kill a Mockingbird, took two years off to deal with his son's death in 1975. Read more about these tragic stories below. And if you or someone you know is struggling with mental health and/or addiction, check out SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (or 4357).
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Sinéad O'Connor tweeted the sad news, posting, “My beautiful son, Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today, and is now with God. May he rest in peace, and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.” The news of his death came two days after a missing persons report was filed when he left an Irish hospital, at which he was on suicide watch.
Michael Madsen’s son, Hudson Madsen, died at 26 in a “suspected suicide,” authorities told the Sun on January 24, 2022. “I can confirm Hudson Lee Madsen died by a gunshot wound to the head in a suspected suicide on the island of Oahu,” a spokeswoman for the Department of the Medical Examiner in Honolulu told the publication. Michael was the godson of Quentin Tarantino, as his father has collaborated with him on many films, including Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill. Michael served in the US Army, and spent time in Afghanistan, according to his Facebook.
Regina King's son Ian Alexander Jr. died by suicide on January 19, 2022, People confirmed. He was 26. "Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian. He is such a bright light who cared so deeply about the happiness of others. Our family asks for respectful consideration during this private time. Thank you," King said in a statement to the publication. Ian was King's only child, with her ex-husband, record producer Ian Alexander Sr. Ian was also a DJ. Ian often walked the red carpet with his mother, and the pair had matching tattoos of the words "unconditional love" in Aramaic.
Marlon Brando's daughter, Cheyenne Brando, hanged herself in 1995 at age 25. After becoming pregnant, the Tahitian-born model moved with the baby's father, Dag Drollet, to Marlon's house in Los Angeles. In 1990, shortly after they moved in, Cheyenne's half-brother Christian shot and killed Drollet. After that, Cheyenne's mental state deteriorated until she was diagnosed with schizophrenia, losing custody of her son, Tuki Brando. She hanged herself at the home of her mother, Tarita Teriipaia.
Gregory Peck was unable to work for two years after the suicide of his son, news reporter Jonathan Peck, in 1975. Jonathan suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. At the time, he was going through a broken relationship and dealing with arteriosclerosis and severe fatigue.
Marie Osmond's 18-year-old son, Michael Blosil, jumped from the 8th floor of an LA apartment building in 2010. Michael had previously suffered a lifelong battle with depression, and at the age of 16, had gone to rehab for undisclosed reasons. At the time of his suicide, Michael was said to be clean and sober.
In 1978, Paul Newman's son, Scott Newman, who was an aspiring actor in his own right, was found dead in a hotel after overdosing on pills and alcohol. He was 28. Scott Newman had issues with drinking, and had been arrested for some alcohol-related incidents. He suffered a motorcycle accident in 1978, for which he then also began taking pain pills. On the night of his death, Scott mixed a lethal dose of Valium, alcohol, and other drugs.
In 1991, Willie Nelson's son Billy, 33, hanged himself in his family's Tennessee cabin following a period of financial difficulty.
Director Zack Snyder's daughter, Autumn, died by suicide in March 2017 at age 20. She was the third of his eight children adopted from China with his first wife, Denise Weber. At the time of her death, Snyder was working on the film Justice League, but he left post-production, and Joss Whedon was brought in to finish reshoots.
On October 28, 1976, Quentin Hubbard - son of Scientology mastermind L. Ron Hubbard and his third wife, Mary Sue - was found outside of Las Vegas, unconscious in his car with a tube leading from the exhaust to the window. After his older half-brother, Ron Jr., quit the Church in 1959, Quentin had been groomed by their father to succeed him as the leader of the organization. However, according to former fellow Scientologists, Quentin was gay, which was at odds with Church doctrine, and was a great source of personal torment. Two weeks after his apparent suicide attempt, he died at 22 years old, having never regained consciousness.
Gloria Vanderbilt's oldest son, Carter Vanderbilt Cooper, completed suicide on July 22, 1988, when he was 23. He jumped from the 14th floor terrace of his mother's Manhattan apartment. In her memoir, Vanderbilt wrote that she believes the suicide was caused by a psychotic episode induced by an allergic relationship to Carter's anti-asthma medication, salbutamol.
Burt Bacharach and Angie Dickinson's daughter, Nikki Bacharach, suffocated in 2007, at age 40, using a plastic bag and helium. Nikki grew up with emotional issues and, many believe, a then-undiagnosed case of Autism. She struggled through school and her adult life.
In 2009, 46 years after his mother's own suicide, Sylvia Plath's son, Nicholas Hughes hanged himself. He was 47. Hughes was a successful biologist and a faculty member at UAF, but suffered from depression.
In 1995, Carroll O'Connor's son, Hugh, completed suicide at 32, after a long battle with drug addiction. Hugh had become addicted to painkillers after a battle with cancer, and then eventually moved to harder drugs. He called his father to tell him he was going to end his life. Police arrived at Hugh's home, but it was too late, as he had already shot himself.
Jim Arness's daughter, Jenny Lee Aurness, completed suicide in 1975, a few weeks shy of her 25th birthday. Arness was said to have been despondent over a previous break-up with Greg Allman, and took a lethal dose of pills.
Talk show host Art Linkletter's daughter, Diane Linkletter, completed suicide in 1969 by jumping to her death from a window at her apartment in West Hollywood. She was 20. Linkletter blamed his daughter's death on LSD and proclaimed it not a suicide. A friend and witness claimed that Diane had been emotional and very upset the night before her death.
In 1965, actor Charles Boyer's only child, Michael Charles Boyer, completed suicide at age 21 while playing Russian Roulette after a bad breakup. Thirteen years later, Charles Boyer, too, would take his own life with a lethal dose of seconal.
The proxy burden of fame took actor Louis Jourdan's only child, Louis Henry Jourdan, who completed suicide in 1981. Louis Henry, 29, had suffered for years from a drug problem that created a manic-depressive type of disorder that left him unable to work. His father and mother discovered his body at their home in Bel Air.
In 1981, actor Ray Milland's son Daniel shot himself in the head in the bedroom of his Beverly Hills home. No suicide note was found. Milland was said to have a history of drug abuse, and when his roommates had last seen him, they noted he was heavily intoxicated.
Robert Taylor's stepson, Michael Theiss, died of a drug overdoes in 1968, a year before the actor lost his battle with cancer. The 23-year-old's body was found by his mother in a Los Angeles motel room.
