The Tragic Truth About Hallmark Star Megan Park's Personal Life
In July 2024, Megan Park welcomed a son with "One Tree Hill" cast member Tyler Hilton, an event that helped the Hallmark star cope with a personal tragedy. When "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" alum was two weeks from her due date, her beloved father died unexpectedly. The dichotomy of the events left Park grappling with trying to reconcile the pain of death with the exhilaration of giving life. Ultimately, the birth of her son helped her navigate her grief.
"Losing my dad at 38 weeks pregnant was.... horrific. But I think the universe knew sweet Benny would be a light to help us through," she captioned a July 2024 Instagram post. Despite her painful loss, Park also revealed that she and Hilton were over the moon with the new addition to the family. "We are madly in love. He is the most incredible gift," she added. Park and Hilton also share a daughter, Winnie, whose birth they announced in February 2020.
Their eldest took her new role well, with Park and Hilton sharing the same photo of Winnie holding her brother's tiny hand in hers. "Winnie and I were dying to meet him... and he didn't disappoint," Hilton noted in his Instagram post. Park and Hilton kept both pregnancies under wraps. In fact, Park rarely shares insight into her personal life, dedicating her social media pages mostly to work-related content. This rare personal update suggests that giving birth while grieving her father's death hit her really hard.
Megan Park's father was close with her daughter
A month before announcing the birth of her son, Megan Park shared the news of her father's death with her followers. "My dad passed away on saturday. after a very brief and sudden illness," she captioned the June 10, 2024, Instagram post. The accompanying picture featured Richard Park standing in the back as Megan and Winnie interacted with Santa (seen above). "I chose this photo because it sums him up so well. happy to stand in the back, holding someone's coat with a smile, absolutely adoring his granddaughter," she explained.
Richard had been close with Winnie, evidence of which Megan saw while going through his belongings. "When i went to his house today, i found a drawer where he had kept every stick, every dried flower, every stone and every blade of grass winnie had ever given him. it said it all. hold your loved ones tight," she wrote. Richard, a dentist and university professor, died from COVID-19-associated encephalopathy, according to his obituary in The London Free Press.
Making the situation even more complicated, Park gave birth during a busy time in her career. "@megan_park was an absolute hero carrying him while she did post production on her new movie @myoldassfilm plus press and travel to Sundance Film Fest for the premiere!" Hilton gushed in his Instagram post about Benny's birth. "My Old A**" is the second film Park has directed. The first was HBO's "The Fallout," a film that gave "Dance Moms" star Maddie Ziegler her breakout role and earned Jenna Ortega wide acclaim.