
No parent should ever have to do the unimaginable task of burying a child. Yet no amount of fame or fortune can shield a person from such tragedy. When celebrities lose a child, a media frenzy usually ensues, and while the outpouring of support is well-intentioned, stars need privacy through the grieving process, just like the rest of us.
If anything, learning that these celebrities lost a child heightens the realization that stars are people, too. In sharing these tragic losses, our eyes are opened to the difficulites everyone faces, regardless of their profession, wealth, or fame.
Image © Danny Moloshok/Corbis
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Prince
1Image © Balazs Mohai/Corbis
The artist formerly known as Prince has always been private. At one point he told Oprah that if he were to have children, it would be up to the child (not him) to one day make their name, sex or "anything" about them known. Therefore, it's not surprising that Prince has never publicly acknowledged the death of his child, Boy Gregory, who was born with Pfeiffer Syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by the premature fusion of skull bones. The infant passed away one week after his birth in 1996.
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Eric Clapton
2Image © Britta Pedersen/Corbis
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Joe Biden
3Image © Joel Averbach
Vice President Joe Biden has seen his share of tragedy. In 1972 on their way to buy a Christmas tree, his wife, Neilia, and their 13-month-old daughter, Naomi, were killed in a tragic car accident. The couple's sons were also in the car at the time, but both survived. In the summer of 2015, Biden lost one of those sons, Beau, to brain cancer. It has been reported that the freshness of the pain of losing his oldest son is keeping him from considering another presidential run in 2016.
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Anna Nicole Smith
4Image © Brock Miller/Corbis
The controversial model and reality TV star lost her son, Daniel, from a drug overdose when he was only 20 years old. Three days after Daniel's death, Smith gave birth to a baby girl whom she named Dannielynn.
More from The Stir: 20 Shocking & Unforgettable Hollywood Tragedies (PHOTOS)
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Robert Plant
5Image © Splash News/Corbis
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Adrian (A.J.) Peterson
6Image © Ann Heisenfelt/Corbis
Former Chicago Bears running back Adrian (A.J.) Peterson lost his son after a brave seven-month battle with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. The inoperable brain tumor took the 7-year-old 's life on February 15, 2015.
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Dr. Dre
7Image © Damian Dovarganes
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Hunter Tylo
8Image © Fotostore/Corbis
Stunning Bold & The Beautiful actress Hunter Tyl lost her 19-year-old son, Michael, in 2007 from a condition known as complex partial seizures. He suffered a seizure while at Tylo's Nevada home and fell into the family pool, where he drowned.
More from The Stir: 19 Celebrities Who Died Of Alcohol & Drug Overdoses (PHOTOS)
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Sylvester Stallone
9Image © Tyrone Siu/Corbis
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John Travolta
10Image © Joe Stevens/Corbis
The world grieved with John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston in 2009 when their son, Jett, passed away at age 16. The child reportedly suffered from Kawasaki syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that causes seizures. While on vacation in the Bahamas, Jett suffered a seizure and died. The couple also have a daughter, Ella Bleu, and a son, Benjamin.
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Mia Farrow
11Image © Splash News/Splash News/Corbis
It's heartbreaking to learn that actress Mia Farrow lost not one, but two, children. Farrow's adopted daughter, Lark Pervin, died at the hospital of AIDs-related pneoumia at the age of 35. Farrow's other adopted child, Tam, died at age 19 of heart failure.
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Vince Neil
12Image © Infusnx-244/Corbis
Motley Crew frontman Vince Neil's daughter, Skylar, lost her battle with cancer in 1995 at the age of 4. The singer formed the Skylar Neil Memorial Fund after her death, and has raised millions of dollars for children's cancer research since.
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Paul Newman
13Image © Armando Gallo/Corbis
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O. J. Simpson
14Image © Julie Jacobson
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Pierce Brosnan
15Image © Danny Moloshok/Corbis
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Keanu Reeves
16Image © KCS Press/Corbis
The actor's baby girl, Ava, was delivered stillborn in 2000. Just 18 months later, her mother, Jennifer Syme, was killed in a a car accident. The couple had since split but the double loss so close together must have been devastating for Reeves.
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Bill Cosby
17Image © Brennan Linsley/Corbis
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Mike Tyson
18Image © Jackie Brown/Corbis