Inside Keanu Reeves' heartache – daughter's tragic death and girlfriend's crash

17 April 2023 , 16:47

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Inside Keanu Reeves' heartache – daughter's tragic death and girlfriend's crash

Keanu Reeves tragically faced a decade of tragedy after the loss of his girlfriend in 2001.

Keanu and Jennifer had already suffered enough after their daughter Ava Archer Syme-Reeves was stillborn on Christmas Eve of 1999, just eight months into Jennifer's pregnancy.

The pair had only met a year before and Keanu recalls "instantly falling in love" with the actress. Unfortunately, the pair's relationship broke down weeks after the loss of their child.

Two years later, after attending a party with goth rockstar Marilyn Manson, Jennifer was involved in a fatal car crash after she drove her Jeep while drunk and crashed into a row of parked cars. She was thrown from the seat and died instantly.

Keanu struggled with the loss, with sources saying he found it "very, very difficult to cope with her death."

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Since then, he's channelled his grief into the portrayal of his 2014 troubled character John Wick.

Keanu channelled his grief for John Wick (Getty Images)

Keanu with his sisters Kim and Karina (Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

"I thought it was one of the foundations of the role. I love his grief," he said. "I relate to that, and I don’t think you ever work through it.

"Grief and loss don’t ever go away."

In the early 19990s, before Jennifer and Ava's death, Keanu became a carer for his sister Kim, who was suffering from a life-threatening blood cancer, leukaemia.

Keanu sadly lost Jennifer after a car crash (EMPICS Entertainment)

Jennifer was just 208 when she tragically died (Internet Unknown)

"She was always there for me, you know. I will always be here for her," he said after becoming her stay-at-home nurse at the height of his acting career.

Luckily, Kim recovered from her illness and set up a charity with Keanu to help others suffering from cancer, however, Keanu chose not to tie his name to the foundation.

Prior to that, in 1993, his best friend and co-star River Phoenix died from an overdose.

The actor who was brother to Joker star Joaquin collapsed after taking a "speedball," which was a combination of morphine and cocaine.

Keanu and River were like brothers (REX FEATURES)

Keanu was really close with River who had once called him his "brother" in an interview. In response, Keanu said: "I’ve always loved you, River. River is my best friend and I don’t have many of them."

At the time of River's death, Keanu's Speed co-star Sandra Bullock had revealed that he'd hidden "great pain."

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She said: "I think Keanu has gone through a lot even though he doesn’t let on. He hides a great pain."

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Lauren Gordon