28 Famous People Who Were Widowed Young

List of celebrities who were widowed young, loosely ranked by fame and popularity. Several famous people have suffered the devastating blow of losing a spouse when they were young. Some celebrities lost their spouses to suicide, while others lost their significant others to cancer. Famous actors, musicians, authors, and politicians have all been widowed young.

Who is the most famous person who was widowed young? Courtney Love tops our list. The Hole front woman became a widow at age 30, after her husband Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994. Cobain struggled with heroin addiction, illness and depression for most of his life and his death solidified him as a member of the forever 27 club. Conspiracy theorists believe that Love may have played a role in Cobain’s death.

Pierce Brosnan became a widower at 38 when his wife Cassandra Harris died from ovarian cancer in 1991. Brosnan described the difficult time when his wife was dying of cancer saying “When your partner gets cancer, then life changes. Your timetable and reference for your normal routines and the way you view life, all this changes. Because you’re dealing with death. You’re dealing with the possibility of death and dying.”

List of celebrities who were widowed young, loosely ranked by fame and popularity. Several famous people have suffered the devastating blow of losing a spouse when they were young. Some celebrities lost their spouses to suicide, while others lost their significant others to cancer. Famous actors, musicians, authors, and politicians have all been widowed young.

Who is the most famous person who was widowed young? Courtney Love tops our list. The Hole front woman became a widow at age 30, after her husband Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994. Cobain struggled with heroin addiction, illness and depression for most of his life and his death solidified him as a member of the forever 27 club. Conspiracy theorists believe that Love may have played a role in Cobain’s death.

Other women who are wives with dead husbands include Amy Yasbeck and Terri Irwin.

Do you think these celebrities will ever get over the death of their spouses? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

• Patton Oswalt

  Patton Oswalt was just 45 when his wife passed away in her sleep in April 2016, leaving behind their seven-year-old daughter. Michelle McNamara was a crime writer and founder of a website called TrueCrimeDiary.com. No cause of death was immediately revealed, but family and friends reported being shocked by her passing. McNamara was 46 years old.
  
  • Age: 56
  • Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
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• Joe Biden

  Joe Biden became a widower at age 30. His wife of six years, Neilia Hunter, died in a car accident in 1972, along with the couple’s one year-old daughter, Naomi. Their two sons, Beau and Hunter, survived the accident.

  Biden married his second wife, Jill Jacobs, in 1975. They have one daughter, Ashley.

  • Age: 82
  • Birthplace: Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA
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• Katie Couric

  Katie Couric became a widow at age 41. Her husband of 9 years, Jay Monahan, died from colon cancer in 1998. The couple had two children, Ellie and Carrie.
  • Age: 68
  • Birthplace: Arlington, Virginia, USA
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  • Also ranks #4 on The Best Hosts on Weekend Today
• Oscar Wilde

  Oscar Wilde became a widower at age 44. His wife of 14 years, Constance Lloyd, died after injuries associated with a fall down the stairs in 1898. At the time, the couple was estranged, and Wilde was in prison. After her death, Constance’s relatives sought legal counsel to keep Wilde away from their sons, Cyril and Vyvyan.
  • Age: Dec. at 46 (1854-1900)
  • Birthplace: Dublin, Republic of Ireland
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  The Best Oscar Wilde Quotes

  See all

  • 1Experience is the name we give to our mistakes.
     

     

    86 Votes
  • 2Be yourself; everyone else is already taken
     

     

    126 Votes
  • 3Always forgive your enemies — nothing annoys them so much.
     

     

    91 Votes
  • 4One should always play fair when one has the winning cards.
     

     

    42 Votes
• Theodore Roosevelt

  Theodore Roosevelt became a widower at age 26. His wife of four years, Alice Hathaway Lee, died after complications with childbirth in 1884, when she was 22. The same day, his mother, Mittie, died of typhoid fever in the same house. Roosevelt left his baby with Lee, Alice, in the care of his sister while he grieved. He resumed custody of his daughter when she was three years old.

  Roosevelt married Edith Kermit Carow in 1886. The couple had five children.

  • Age: Dec. at 60 (1858-1919)
  • Birthplace: New York City, Manhattan, USA, New York
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  • Also ranks #1 on Who Would Win In An Ultimate Presidential Fist Fight?

  The Best Theodore Roosevelt Books

  See all

  • 1The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
     

     

    24 Votes
  • 2The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism
     

     

    18 Votes
  • 3Theodore Roosevelt, An Autobiography
     

     

    32 Votes
  • 4Theodore Rex
     

     

    16 Votes
• Thomas Jefferson

  Thomas Jefferson became a widower at age 41. His wife of 10 years, Martha Wayles Skelton, died during childbirth in 1782. The couple had six children, only two of whom survived to adulthood. Keeping a promise he made to his dying wife, Jefferson never married again.
  • Age: Dec. at 83 (1743-1826)
  • Birthplace: Shadwell, Colony of Virginia, British America
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Patton Oswalt

• Photo:
  • Helga Esteb
  • Shutterstock

• Helga Esteb
• Shutterstock

• Age: 56
• Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA

• Dig Deeper The 40+ Best Patton Oswalt Movies
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• Also ranks #6 on Actors You Completely Forgot Were On ‘Seinfeld’

Joe Biden

• Photo:
  • Tumblr

• Tumblr

Joe Biden became a widower at age 30. His wife of six years, Neilia Hunter, died in a car accident in 1972, along with the couple’s one year-old daughter, Naomi. Their two sons, Beau and Hunter, survived the accident.

• Age: 82
• Birthplace: Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA

• Dig Deeper Joe Bidenisms: The Funniest and Best Joe Biden Gaffes
• And Deeper Famous Friends of Barack Obama
• Also ranks #2 on The Hottest US Presidents, Ranked

Katie Couric

• Photo:
  • David Shankbone
  • Wikimedia Commons
  • CC BY 3.0

• David Shankbone
• Wikimedia Commons
• CC BY 3.0

• Age: 68
• Birthplace: Arlington, Virginia, USA

• Dig Deeper Famous Breast Cancer Survivors
• Also ranks #4 on Craziest Celebrity Confessions From The ‘Watch What Happens Live’ Segment “Plead The Fifth”
• Also ranks #4 on The Best Hosts on Weekend Today

Oscar Wilde

• Photo:
  • W. and D. Downey.
  • Wikimedia Commons
  • Public Domain

• W. and D. Downey.
• Wikimedia Commons
• Public Domain

• Age: Dec. at 46 (1854-1900)
• Birthplace: Dublin, Republic of Ireland

• Dig Deeper 50 Famous Irish Authors
• Also ranks #1 on The Best Gay Authors

The Best Oscar Wilde Quotes

• 1Experience is the name we give to our mistakes.
   

   

  86 Votes
• 2Be yourself; everyone else is already taken
   

   

  126 Votes
• 3Always forgive your enemies — nothing annoys them so much.
   

   

  91 Votes
• 4One should always play fair when one has the winning cards.
   

   

  42 Votes

Theodore Roosevelt

• Photo:
  • Pach Brothers
  • Wikimedia Commons
  • Public Domain

• Pach Brothers
• Wikimedia Commons
• Public Domain

Theodore Roosevelt became a widower at age 26. His wife of four years, Alice Hathaway Lee, died after complications with childbirth in 1884, when she was 22. The same day, his mother, Mittie, died of typhoid fever in the same house. Roosevelt left his baby with Lee, Alice, in the care of his sister while he grieved. He resumed custody of his daughter when she was three years old.

• Age: Dec. at 60 (1858-1919)
• Birthplace: New York City, Manhattan, USA, New York

• Dig Deeper That Time Teddy Roosevelt Got Shot In The Chest And Still Gave An 84-Minute Speech
• Also ranks #1 on Who Would Win In An Ultimate Presidential Fist Fight?

The Best Theodore Roosevelt Books

• 1The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
   

   

  24 Votes
• 2The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism
   

   

  18 Votes
• 3Theodore Roosevelt, An Autobiography
   

   

  32 Votes
• 4Theodore Rex
   

   

  16 Votes

Thomas Jefferson

• Photo:
  • Thomas Sully
  • Wikimedia Commons
  • Public Domain

• Thomas Sully
• Wikimedia Commons
• Public Domain

• Age: Dec. at 83 (1743-1826)
• Birthplace: Shadwell, Colony of Virginia, British America

• Dig Deeper What It Was Like To Be An Enslaved Person At Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
• And Deeper Thomas Jefferson Modeled The Declaration Of Independence On A Scandalous Divorce Case
• Also ranks #2 on Every US President’s Favorite Food, Ranked