Robert Redford's Kids Have Lived Incredibly Tragic Lives

As the children of an iconic Hollywood star, one would be forgiven for thinking Robert Redford's kids grew up living lavish lives. However, they also experienced a number of devastating deaths — and sadly for the family, because of their father's fame, they weren't always able to go through it privately. 

Though many know that Robert shared several kids with his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen, what some might not realize is that the first of their children died as an infant. Scott Anthony Redford, born when Robert was 21 and Van Wagenen 20, died at just 2-and-a-half months old of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Speaking to Esquire about the heartbreaking loss in 2017, the actor shared that it had had a profound impact on his and Van Wagenen's lives and that it likely affected him in ways he wasn't even fully aware of. "We had to deal with it. We had to move on. And we had other children who came. But something like that doesn't get completely dismissed," he told the outlet. Robert also pointed out that because of how young he and Van Wagenen had been at the time, neither was "equipped to deal with it."

Of course, one tool that can be used to deal with such a traumatic experience is therapy, and in his Esquire interview, the Oscar winner confirmed that he had tried it. Unfortunately for Robert, however, it wasn't as effective as he might have hoped. "It never worked out. I tried a while back, two or three times. I found myself trying to psychoanalyze the analyst," he admitted. Heartbreakingly, Robert's surviving children grew up in the shadow of a brother they'd never known's passing — and it wouldn't be the last tragedy they experienced.

As Robert Redford told Esquire, he and Lola Van Wagenen went on to have three more children after their firstborn son: daughter Shauna Redford, followed by son David James Redford, then daughter Amy Redford. Unfortunately for the couple who had already experienced the loss of one child, both their second and third children were born premature. However, it was the latter — who went by James Redford professionally, or Jamie in his family — who came into the world in a particularly traumatic way. 

As revealed in Michael Feeney Callan's "Robert Redford: The Biography," James was born premature in April 1962, and both he and Van Wagenen nearly died during the birth. Making matters worse, James was also given a grave diagnosis: hyaline membrane disease. Speaking to his biographer about his second-born son's possibility of survival, Redford recounted, "The doctors gave Jamie just a 40-60 chance." Thankfully, the baby boy made it through, and the actor went on to add, "He hung in. Over a month his condition improved, and then he stabilized. It was a colossal relief for us."

The scary moment for the Redford family would ultimately play a role in Robert pivoting away from theater and going into movies. Speaking to Callan, the actor explained that he made the change because he wanted to make enough money to build a home for his wife and kids. "You almost lose a child, you reevaluate. ... Family became the priority and I decided to concentrate on the most expeditious way of building a secure home," he said of the decision. 

In 1983, tragedy struck for Robert Redford's oldest daughter, Shauna Redford. The then-22-year-old's boyfriend of three years, Sidney Wells, was tragically murdered execution-style in his apartment — and decades later, his murder remained unsolved.

On top of being together for several years, according to "Robert Redford: The Biography," Shauna and Sidney were even talking about getting married. With that in mind, Sidney's murder was traumatic for the entire Redford family. The whole family attended the funeral, including Robert, who had left the set of "The Natural" to be there for his daughter and the Wells family. James Redford also served as one of the pallbearers, and according to a UPI report at the time, he sobbed as they took the coffin into the ceremony. 

Shauna notably — and understandably — did not speak to the media about Sidney's passing. Robert also declined to speak directly to the press at the time, though in a statement to UPI by way of a spokesperson, he shared that the family was "grief-stricken." Speaking to 9News in the wake of Robert Redford's death in 2025, Sidney's brother Robert Wells shared that the actor had also organized and paid for security for their family, particularly because it wasn't clear if they were in danger, too. As for Shauna, she remained close with the Wells family. In 2014, Sidney's mother spoke briefly about the toll her son's death had taken on his girlfriend, telling CNN, "Shauna quit college. She grieved in ways that I can't even imagine." Shauna has not spoken publicly on Sidney's death. As for the suspect wanted for Sidney's murder, his college roommate Thayne Smika, he went on the run and has not been found.

Less than a year after her boyfriend's murder, Shauna Redford faced another major trauma. While driving south of Salt Lake City in March 1984, she lost control of her vehicle and smashed into the guardrail. Horrifyingly, her car then flipped and plunged into the Jordan River. 

Thankfully, there were witnesses, who acted fast by jumping into the water and getting her to safety. They were later honored with the Utah Medal of Honor by the governor for their bravery. Though Robert Redford and Lola Van Wagenen were unable to attend the ceremony themselves, they did send personal thank-you letters, and Lola's grandfather served as the family's representative at the event. 

While at the ceremony, Frank Van Wagenen thanked the good Samaritans on behalf of the family for saving his granddaughter's life. More than that, he credited them with giving her hope during what was the darkest period of her life. Echoing what Sidney Wells' mother would later tell CNN about her mental state around the time of the accident, Frank revealed that Shauna had been in a deep depression. Thanks to her rescuers' actions, though, the grandfather was reported by UPI as saying, "You not only saved her life, you saved her happiness."

Sadly for the Redford siblings, tragedy struck in 2020 when James Redford died of liver cancer. James was just 58 at the time of his passing and had a history with liver disease. 

James underwent his first transplant in 1993. However, as he shared with Michael Feeney Callan for "Robert Redford: The Biography," it hadn't been successful. "I knew the operation didn't work. ... Your body tells you. The blood tests were coming back okay, but something felt wrong," he recounted. Sure enough, an ultrasound picked up that his bile duct had degenerated, and several weeks later, he had another liver transplant, which proved much more successful. "It was a beautiful dawning, like someone turning on the sunshine again. Just a feeling of, Yes, this is right! This is how I've been waiting to feel all my life," James recounted. Unfortunately, he still wasn't out of the woods just yet, and would later have to have his colon removed — a result of the ulcerative colitis he'd also suffered for years, beginning in his teens. By late 1994, though, he seemed to have made a full recovery, and in the years that followed, he became a major advocate for organ donation.

Devastatingly, James' widow, Kyle Redford, told The Salt Lake Tribune that in 2018 his liver disease returned. The following year, he was also diagnosed with bile duct cancer, and in October 2020, he passed away. James' sisters did not speak with the press about his death, though a statement through Robert's spokesperson to Page Six acknowledged that the family was understandably grieving. The actor's representative also shared that it was especially tragic for Robert, noting, "The grief is immeasurable with the loss of a child."

Old Hollywood fans received sad news in 2025, when Robert Redford died at the age of 89. No official cause of death was shared with the public, though the actor's publicist shared in a statement to BBC that he had been at his Sundance home at the time of his passing and that he had been with his loved ones. "He will be missed greatly. The family requests privacy," the statement ended. 

Sadly for the family, despite huge outpourings of support from fans and friends alike, there were also some who used AI to create fake images and quotes supposedly from the family and the funeral itself. Naturally, that became increasingly upsetting for Robert's surviving children, and in an Instagram post, his youngest daughter, Amy Redford, asked for those behind the fake images and videos to stop. "There have been multiple AI versions of funerals, tributes and quotes from member of my family that are fabrications. Renderings of my Dad who clearly has no say, and depictions of my family that do not represent anyone in a positive light are extra challenging during a difficult time," she wrote in her statement. Amy went on to add, "Every family should mourn, represent the person they lost, and pay homage in the way that fits their values and family culture best." She ended with a reminder that before generating fake posts with AI, people keep the golden rule in mind. "What if this was you? Let that be your guidepost," she wrote. 

The Redford children have been through a lot over the years, and it's devastating that that remained so even in their father's death. We're wishing Shauna and Amy well.