This Famous Boy’s ‘Clock Stopped’ When His Dad Died Yet at 52, His Life Began with the Birth of His 1st Son

• This famous boy had a good upbringing, but a tragic moment ensured that he never saw life the same way again.
• Now, decades later, he has found a way to feel happy once more.
• He shared what he is doing now to ensure he is the best he can be for those who need him.

This boy, who got his education in New York, always hated New Year's Eve because it reminded him of one of the most challenging times in his young life.

As he got older, he kept the pain of New Year's Eve 1978 close to his heart and felt like he wasn't living up to his full potential. That was until another event changed his outlook on how he conducted himself.

The event that kept him from feeling happy about his life occurred when the boy was only ten. It took another four decades before he finally felt comfortable enough to let go of what he had experienced in New York forty years earlier.

The little boy lost his father during an open heart surgery in January 1978. The boy's father was only fifty then. It took years for the boy to be able to share his grief with anyone, and he said even when he did, he was selective about who he spoke to.

On the impact of the day his father died, the boy shared his heartbreak, saying:

"The calendars reset to year zero. The clock stopped, and a new life began."

That day marked the beginning of a change in personality in the boy, who became introverted and primarily concerned with survival rather than being the outgoing and funny boy he was before his father's death.

He also tried his best to support his mother, though he never felt close to her because she was always working. He had been much closer to his father, leaving him terrified following his death, and he turned to his nanny for comfort.

Though he found solace in his nanny, the boy never felt like anybody fully understood his suffering. He shared that nobody knew how to speak to him after his father died, and he wished that somebody would know how he felt.

The terrified little boy whose personality changed completely after his father died was none other than CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. While he spent a huge part of his life in a fog following his father's death, Cooper has recently found a reason to be happy.

In 2020, forty-two years after he lost his father, Cooper finally discovered a reason to celebrate life again. He welcomed his son, Wyatt Morgan, a dream come true for him as he thought he would never become a father.

When Cooper was twelve and discovered his sexuality, he thought that as a gay man, he would never be able to welcome a child. However, when Wyatt was born, he said:

"It feels like my life has actually begun."

Cooper admitted he didn't know why he had waited so long for this new level of love. Although it was unlike anything else he had ever experienced, he felt it was familiar and extraordinary.

Since his son's birth, Cooper has begun thinking about the future in a way he never really did before. He shared that having a child has made him feel more connected to everything going on around him, wanting the best for his son as he grows up.

Cooper co-parents Wyatt with his ex, Benjamin Maisani, a man he considers his best friend. Cooper acknowledged that his arrangement with Maisani might be unconventional, but it works well for them both.

Cooper also loves knowing that if something ever happened to him, his son would still be surrounded by love and have a father. This is important to him, having grown up without a father.

Three years after welcoming Wyatt, Cooper and Maisani welcomed another boy and named him Sebastian Luke. The two fathers love watching their sons play together and seeing their relationship develop.

Cooper does not doubt that raising his sons has been the best time of his life. Maisani has also shared that he feels pure bliss when watching his sons interact and play with some of Cooper's old toys.

In June last year, Cooper shared a photo carousel of his eldest son on his shoulders, eating a soft-serve ice cream. The little boy's face was covered in sticky chocolate.

In his caption, Cooper confessed that he would usually avoid Father's Day. The pain of remembering the day and celebrating a father who wasn't there was too much for him.

However, when his son came along, he felt he was once again able to relish in the day's festivities without as much pain as possible. He ended the post by saying he couldn't believe how lucky he was.

Although Cooper and Maisani have already welcomed two sons, Cooper says he is open to having more children. He shared:

"I love the idea of it — but there's nothing planned."

While Cooper spent much of his life dealing with his grief and avoiding his feelings, he learned after welcoming his sons that he needed to deal with his pain because he didn't want to pass it on to his children.

He recognized that the way he dealt with his grief before he had children was effective then, but he knew he needed to face his issues because they would eventually catch up to him and his children.

For Cooper, grief is something that is not openly spoken about, but everyone has to deal with it at some point in their lives. Having overcome his grief, he is now focused on being the best parent to his little boys.