Mark Wahlberg Celebrates 20th Birthday of Daughter Born on the Day His Sister Died: 'No Parent Should Have to Lose a Child'

• Mark Wahlberg's sister Debbie died on the same day his daughter, Ella, was born.
• Mark said the death of his sister impacted his mother, Alma Wahlberg, very much.
• The actor's daughter Ella is now a grown-up dating her boyfriend, whom Mark approves of.

Oscar-nominated actor Mark Wahlberg shares four kids with his wife, Rhea Durham. The two are amazing parents to their children Ella, 20, Michael, 17, Brendan, 15, and Grace, 13.

Mark is the son of Alma Wahlberg and Donald Wahlberg. Mark said his family -- who starred on the Arts and Entertainment Network's (A&E) reality show "Wahlburgers," which ran for ten seasons -- has always been close.

Mark said the reality show helped his family become closer and address years of grief that had engulfed them after they lost their sister and daughter, Debbie, in 2003. Debbie died at age 43 after suffering a heart attack and septic shock while getting her kidney stones removed at the hospital. Ironically. on the day Debbie died, Mark also became a dad for the first time.

Mark said his mom went into depression after Debbie died. He added that as much as Debbie died a long time ago, her death still affected his mom. "No parent should have to lose a child," he sympathized.

On September 2, 2021, Mark celebrated Ella's 18th birthday and said it was "a bittersweet day" because he was also commemorating the death anniversary of Debbie, whom he admitted to missing immensely. The actor shared these words alongside a picture of him holding Ella and another where he hugged Debbie from the back.

The actor shared a hilarious video on Instagram, showing off Ella's boyfriend.

Ella recently turned 20, and her dad, who she shares a close bond with, celebrated her again on Instagram. Mark said he was "so proud" of his daughter and wished her a happy birthday. The actor posed proudly next to Ella in a picture he shared on Instagram.

Mark's Close Bond with His Daughter

In 2022, Mark revealed on "The Ellen Show" that his daughter, Ella, was dating. He said Ella's boyfriend, James, was more scared of her than he was of him. "I pray for him more than I pray for her in that relationship," the actor joked.

However, Mark said Ella and James were perfect for each other and that the young man "couldn't be any sweeter." The dad of four added that it was inevitable for Ella to start dating and that he was okay with it as long as she was with someone who was nice and treated her well.

"We have a great relationship; he is fantastic," Mark revealed, then noted how he hoped the two would stay together.

Ella and her boyfriend have been dating for close to two years now. James went on holiday with Ella's family, and Mark joked that he felt James was now the man of the house. Mark and James do lots of things together, including working out.

The actor shared a hilarious video on Instagram, showing off Ella's boyfriend. Mark and James were in near-matching outfits in a gym. "I used to work out to keep the boys away from my girls, but now I work out with the boyfriend, imagine that, self-made," Mark said on the video.

In the video's caption, Mark wrote that his daughter was a lucky girl and he was a lucky man because James was a "great young man." Mark is glad he and Ella's boyfriend have many things in common. The actor only has positive things to say about the young man.