Here’s a man who received a double dose. …
Pierce Brosnan and wife Cassandra Harris.
Pierce Brosnan’s first wife Cassandra died of ovarian cancer at age 43. The two were married thirteen years, had one son together. Mr. Brosnan adopted Cassandra’s two other children from an earlier marriage, Charlotte and Christopher.
The family of five prospered while both parents pursued successful acting careers. But then Cassandra was diagnosed with cancer, and there were multiple surgeries, years of chemotherapy sessions. Despite all the treatments, tumors spread and the end loomed up. Brosnan related:
I was in a helpless state of … confusion and anger. She [Cassandra] was comforting me. She said, “Please, darling, don’t worry. It’s just a life winding down.” What can you do? Up until then there was always something, some new treatment. But then the options got fewer and fewer. At the end, Cassie didn’t want to be resuscitated [by] any machines.
She … made me the man I am, the actor I am, the father I am. She’s forever embedded in every fiber of my being. She was there with me every day. I was so blessed to have met someone like that.
Cassandra passed in 1991. A decade later, Pierce Brosnan married Keely Shaye Smith, and the couple welcomed two sons. And Mr. Brosnan’s acting career continued to flourish. He performed in four James Bond epics, made dozens of other films, did loads of television.
Brosnan and daughter Charlotte in 2006.
Pierce Brosnan’s dark times, however, weren’t finished. Adopted daughter Charlotte, mother of two, was taken by ovarian cancer at 41 in 2013. Sometimes, personal tragedies come with accomplices.