The Last Photo Of Robert Redford & His Decades-Younger Wife In Public Is So Sad Now

Hollywood legend Robert Redford devastated the entertainment world when he passed, leaving behind his wife, Sibylle Szaggars, and his two daughters with his first wife Lola Van Wagenen, Shauna and Amy Redford, as well as seven grandchildren. Redford's two sons, Scott and James Redford, tragically passed before him. "Robert Redford passed away on Sept. 16, 2025, at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah — the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved. He will be missed greatly," Redford's publicist Cindi Berger said in a statement, via People. 

Redford first met wife Szaggars, a German artist, while she was skiing with her friends at the Sundance Mountain Resort. At the time, Szaggars knew very little about Redford when they first met, which was a relief to the actor. "That's one of the things that attracted me to her — she didn't know much about me," Redford admitted during a 2014 panel for the National YoungArts Foundation (via Fox News). Despite Szaggars being a whopping 21 years younger than Redford, the couple eventually married in 2009 in Szaggars' hometown of Hamburg, Germany.

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Redford and Szaggars were last publicly photographed together when they attended The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation's award ceremony at the Grimaldi Forum on October 29, 2021. In this final public photograph, the tragic details of Redford and his health decline was more noticeable than before. Taken roughly four years before he passed, this last photo of Redford and his decades-younger wife is sad to see now. 

Robert Redford and Sibylle Szaggars had an exceptionally private marriage, and these photos are tragic to look back on, as no one knew these were the last glimpse the public would get of the happy couple. It is clear that the Hollywood icon's health was on the decline, however, this was only natural as he reached his mid-80s. 

Unfortunately for Szaggars, it was always likely that he would die well before her. When Redford passed at the age of 89 in September 2025, Szaggars was only 68 years old. One of the downsides of a drastic age gap marriage is that the pair was in completely different seasons of life, evident by how young and lively Szaggars still appeared in their last set of public photos. 

While Robert Redford and his second wife had an uncomfortable age gap, their marriage was marked by positive contributions to society, especially in conservationism. In 2015, they founded The Way of the Rain Non-Profit Organization, which is dedicated to funding and creating both educational and artistic performances that advocate for the protection of earth. As an artist who specialized in environmental themes, Sibylle Szaggars Redford still serves as the founder, president, and artistic director of the organization. Robert Redford also founded the esteemed non-profit Sundance Institute and Sundance Film Festival in the early 1980s, devoting much of his life to supporting independent filmmaking.