Robert Redford died carrying an "intense sadness" over his son's cancer death, his former neighbours have revealed
The Oscar-winning actor and director died this week at his home in Sundance, Utah, aged 89, and his ex- neighbours in Tiburon have opened up about his inner torment in his final years as they recalled how he struggled to come to terms with the death of his boy
20 September 2025
Robert, born on 18 August 1936, lived for several years in the Bay Area town of Tiburon with his wife, Sibylle Szaggars, 68.
Locals have now told the Daily Mail even though the actor was warm and gracious, he was also marked by grief following the death of his son James in 2020.
A waiter at a bayside restaurant told the Mail: "He was one of my best customers and he came weekly. "Bob, as we called him, would sit at the same round table every week with his wife and friends and he was incredibly gracious.
"He talked to the staff and was personable, he asked questions and was interested in everyone. But there was an intense sadness to him after his son died a few years ago."
The waiter added: "Bob talked about how much he missed his son, it was a heartbreaking thing for him. He felt like a part of him had been lost, it was hard for him to live without his boy. It took a toll on him to see his son die like that."
James Redford died of cancer in October 2020 at the age of 58.
He had been diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis in the early 1990s, a chronic disease of the liver and bile ducts.
He underwent two liver transplants before founding the James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness.
His documentary The Kindness of Strangers, released in 1999, focused on the lives of organ donors and recipients.
Robert had already faced tragedy decades earlier.
With his first wife Lola Van Wagenen he lost their first child Scott to sudden infant death syndrome at just two months old in 1959.
In a 2017 interview with Esquire UK, he reflected: "I was only 21; my wife was 20. We were just starting our lives.
"I was just starting my career in New York. Of course it was traumatic, and how that plays out over time, I don't know. We had to deal with it. You have to move on.
"And we had other children who came. But something like that doesn't get completely dismissed. It probably shows up in various small ways you're not even aware of."
Locals in Tiburon also said the loss of James weighed heavily on him in his final years.
Residents recalled him walking the town's trails, talking about plants and flowers, but carrying a visible grief.
One acquaintance told the Mail: "Hiking was a big deal for Bob when he was younger, he walked the trails all the time and knew the name of every flower and plant."
Another added: "He liked to walk around Tiburon and would say hello and wave to locals. He always had a cap and sunglasses on but everyone knew it was Robert Redford."
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