All About the Late Robert Redford's Four Children — Two of Whom Tragically Died Before Their Star Dad

He was the golden boy of American cinema — a sun-kissed icon whose effortless charm captivated generations. Yet behind the radiant smile was a man marked by private heartbreak, quietly carrying the weight of losses few could imagine.

Robert Redford, who passed away on September 16, 2025, wasn't just a Hollywood icon — he was a devoted father whose greatest joys and most crushing losses came from the family he cherished most.

Long before the Oscar glory, the Sundance legacy, and the larger-than-life fame, he was simply a young husband in New York City, scraping by with his college sweetheart, Lola Van Wagenen — never knowing he would one day endure the heartbreak of outliving two of his sons.

A Young Father's Worst Nightmare

Robert and Lola married in 1958. But then, tragedy struck with cruel swiftness. Their firstborn son, Scott Anthony Redford, died in 1959. At just two and a half months old, Scott was the victim of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) — a mysterious and horrifying condition that offered no warning and no answers.

"I was only 21; my wife was 20," Robert later recalled. "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 [sic]."

He added, "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."

For Robert, the grief didn't fade — it festered quietly, showing up in the shadows of his success. He once admitted he believed Scott's death was his fault and "felt like retribution" for his sexual magnetism and hedonistic lifestyle, adding chillingly, "This, I felt, was a disaster entirely of my creation."

Even as he rose to become one of Hollywood's most admired stars, Robert carried a sense of doom and guilt, haunted by the fragility of life. That ever-present shadow would return in a devastating way decades later, when another of his beloved children was taken far too soon.

Another Crushing Blow: Jamie's Battle Ends at 58

In 2020, James "Jamie" Redford, Robert's second son and closest creative confidante, died at age 58 after a long, painful battle with liver cancer — a fight complicated by a lifelong autoimmune disease, Sclerosing Cholangitis.

Jamie's health had been fragile since childhood. In 1993, he underwent a liver transplant, a terrifying ordeal during which his father flew to Omaha every weekend while filming a "Quiz Show" to be by his side.

The bond between father and son was unshakable. Like Robert, Jamie was a storyteller and changemaker — a gifted documentary filmmaker and founder of The Redford Center, a nonprofit dedicated to environmental storytelling. His wife, Kyle Redford, broke the heartbreaking news on X.

In an interview with People magazine, Robert's publicist, Cindi Berger, said that the actor "is mourning with his family during this difficult time and asks for privacy," adding:

"The grief is immeasurable with the loss of a child. Jamie was a loving son, husband and father. His legacy lives on through his children, art, filmmaking and devoted passion to conservation and the environment [sic]."

'People Think It's Been Easy for Me — It's So Untrue'

Though the public saw a man who seemed to have it all, Robert never pretended his journey was painless. He admitted the deep emotional cost of his children's suffering, saying:

"The hardest thing in the world is when your children have problems. There have been so many hits on our family that no one knows about, and I don't want them to, for my family's sake. People think it's been easy for me. That's hard to live with. It's so untrue."

And yet, despite the pain, his children remained his proudest accomplishment. "I've made some interesting movies, and I've been very satisfied with the work, but if someone wrapped it all up and said to me, 'What's your greatest achievement?' I'd say, 'The children. They're the best thing in my life," he added.

Shauna and Amy: His Artistic Legacy Lives On

His two surviving daughters, Shauna Redford and Amy Redford, inherited both his creative fire and deep humanity.

Shauna, a painter, has led a quieter life but made her own mark in the art world. She's married to Eric Schlosser, the investigative journalist and author of "Fast Food Nation."

Announcing her wedding in the New York Times, it was noted that she is a graduate of the University of Colorado and that the ceremony took place on the lawn of her parents' home in Provo, Utah.

Meanwhile, Amy embraced the limelight, building a career as a director, producer, and actress, with credits in "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City." Her creative path is profoundly shaped by watching her father work.

In a 2008 interview, she said, "As a kid I witnessed the process of my dad [Robert Redford] making films and the extraordinary cast of characters that came together to make it happen… I found myself drawn to the nomadic and creative life that that implied [sic]."

Amy, who is also a mother of three, once joked that juggling filmmaking and motherhood felt simpler than deciding the right time to get married.

The actress has also openly spoken about her own health struggles, revealing that she suffered from chronic laryngitis in her twenties, "I went through a period in my life in my 20s when I had chronic laryngitis for three years and I realize now that I was not my authentic self [sic]."

A Final Goodbye in the Place He Loved Most

In the end, Robert Redford passed away peacefully in the place that always gave him solace — his Utah home, surrounded by the people who mattered most. His publicist, Cindi, confirmed that he was in the "place he loved surrounded by those he loved [sic]."

Robert was a giant of film, a trailblazer in independent cinema, and above all, a devoted and grieving father who never let personal tragedy steal his compassion or commitment to family.