This '80s Heartthrob Lost a Child & Stands by His Wife as She Battles a Deadly Illness – What Happened?

He rose to fame on a hit sitcom in the late 1970s and has stayed in steady work for decades. But behind the curtain, his family life would come to include a newborn health crisis, a pregnancy loss, and two separate diagnoses that placed his wife under medical watch.

He was once the face of young Hollywood, plastered across teen magazines, leading sitcoms, and adored by millions. While his career continued well beyond his early fame, his personal life eventually took center stage for reasons unrelated to television.

Together with his wife, he has faced multiple, life-altering medical events, each one placing their family under intense emotional strain. In time, they chose to speak openly about what they endured, revealing details that few fans had ever known.

From Teen Stardom to Steady Work: His Career Before Crisis

He first appeared on screen in the mid-1970s and quickly carved out a space as a teen favorite. His early breakthrough came when he landed the lead in a musical gangster film at just 16 years old, beating out thousands of hopefuls. From there, his career took off.

By the late '70s, he had become a familiar presence on prime-time television, playing a recurring character on a hit sitcom that ran for nearly a decade. His on-screen charm and popularity led to a spin-off series, as well as starring roles in teen films and made-for-TV movies.

Throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, he remained a consistent fixture on television, taking on a title role in a family sitcom that aired in syndication for several years. He appeared in a variety of series, films, and TV specials, sometimes as a guest star, other times in leading roles.

More recently, he has continued to act, with performances in family-friendly films, Christian productions, and even a 2025 feature alongside well-known names. While the audience has changed over time, his presence on screen has not faded.

During this time, he also got married and started a family, a chapter that brought joy, but also a series of medical challenges that would test them from the very beginning.

A Shocking Start: Medical Crisis at Birth

He became a father for the first time in 2007, when he and his wife welcomed their daughter, Bailey. But just days after her birth, their family faced a medical crisis. Routine newborn screening revealed that Bailey had tested positive for a rare genetic disorder called glutaric acidemia type 1, or GA-1.

The condition, which affects the body's ability to process certain amino acids, can cause severe and permanent brain damage if not detected and treated early. For the next ten weeks, they lived in a state of fear and uncertainty.

While waiting for follow-up testing, the couple was told to prepare for a range of possible outcomes, including the need for emergency interventions and lifelong dietary restrictions. The emotional toll was compounded by another heartbreak: Bailey had been one of a set of twins, but her sibling was lost in a miscarriage at 11 weeks.

Bailey's final test results ultimately confirmed that the original result had been a false positive. Her parents were relieved, but the experience had already left a deep impact. Her mother later described a moment of clarity that gave her peace about the loss of the twin.

"Three days before Christmas, I was lying down with Bailey in the afternoon, sleeping with her, and I don't know if it was a dream or if something just came to me, but whatever it was told me that the other baby had GA-1, and that's why God took her," she shared.

Determined to use their experience to help others, the couple founded the Bailey Baio Angel Foundation. The organization raises awareness of GA-1 and other metabolic disorders, provides resources for affected families, and promotes the importance of early testing. Although Bailey was healthy, they remained committed to those who were not as fortunate.

But just a few years later, another diagnosis would again place their family in the path of uncertainty; this time, it was his wife's health that became the focus.

Breast Cancer Strikes

Five years after the birth of their daughter, the family faced another life-altering health crisis. In 2012, his wife was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and underwent three lumpectomies as part of her treatment plan. The surgeries were successful, but the diagnosis marked the beginning of a difficult and uncertain period.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women. It occurs when cancerous cells in the breast begin to multiply and form tumors. About 80 percent of cases are invasive, meaning the cancer may spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body. While it most often affects women over the age of 50, it can also develop in younger women. In some cases, men may also be diagnosed.

The actor's wife's diagnosis was not made public at the time. The couple chose to focus privately on treatment and recovery. But even after being declared cancer-free, the psychological impact remained. The fear of recurrence and the weight of protecting their young daughter from worry added emotional strain to the already difficult process.

Though her cancer had been treated, the health scares were far from over. Within a few years, a new and unexpected diagnosis would once again shift their focus, and this time, it involved her brain.

The Brain Tumor Diagnosis

In June 2015, just years after her breast cancer treatment, his wife received another unexpected diagnosis: a meningioma brain tumor. He shared the news publicly in a Facebook post, explaining that although 90 percent of meningiomas are benign, they can still cause serious health problems depending on their size and location.

A meningioma is a type of tumor that forms in the meninges, the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. While not technically a brain tumor, a meningioma can press against nearby brain tissue, nerves, or blood vessels, leading to significant symptoms.

These tumors are the most common type found in the head and are more frequently diagnosed in women, often later in life, though they can appear at any age. Symptoms typically develop slowly and may be easy to overlook at first.

They vary depending on where the tumor is located, but can include changes in vision, morning headaches, memory loss, hearing problems, seizures, weakness in the limbs, and difficulty speaking. In her case, the diagnosis came after she began experiencing severe migraines, initially believed to be hormonal.

She later described the experience as frightening but leaned on her faith to cope. "I will tell you my faith in God is greater than the fear of the unknown," she said in a 2015 interview. Her husband added, "It was all about our kid. I would've been devastated for our daughter, because she's everything to us, so that would've crushed her."

The family waited to learn whether the tumor was operable. Despite the seriousness of the situation, she remained outwardly composed. He described her as his rock, writing on Facebook, "She refuses to even shed one tear, nor will she question God's will."

They used the opportunity to urge others to pay attention to warning signs and ask for medical imaging if needed. "Renee, Bailey, and I will get through this," he added, "and along the way maybe help educate others to get checked out (MRI with contrast), as 6,500 people each year, mostly women, get these tumors."

But even as they focused on raising awareness, the most difficult moments were unfolding inside their own home, where their young daughter witnessed firsthand just how fragile things had become.

Faith, Family, and the Strength to Speak Out

The couple, actor Scott Baio and his wife Renee Sloan, chose to speak openly about the emotional toll of her brain tumor diagnosis, especially as they tried to protect their young daughter, Bailey. While dealing with the medical decisions and uncertainty, they faced one of the most personal moments of the ordeal right inside their kitchen.

As they stood in the kitchen, he rested his head on his wife's shoulder and began to cry. Their daughter saw it and asked, "Mommy, why are you making Daddy cry? You need to apologize. You apologize for making Daddy cry."

His wife recalled biting the inside of her mouth and gently responding to her daughter, "I'm sorry, Daddy, for making you cry." It was a moment that reflected the weight of the situation, but also the strength the family tried to maintain in front of their child. "You just got to be strong," she said.

She also spoke about her faith as a guiding force during that time. Her husband echoed that sentiment publicly. Years later, she marked the anniversary of her diagnosis with a brief but powerful statement. "10 years ago today, I learned that I have [sic] brain tumors. I'm still here," she shared.

Their experiences have made them more than just advocates. They've become examples of how confronting medical hardship head-on can offer purpose beyond survival.