credit: The Big Chill
Actor William Hurt is a legend. Sadly, he is not a living legend. He died on March 13, 2022, at the age of 71. Some might say he lived a long life, but many believe that his life was over too soon. At only 71, he seemed so young and as though he had many years left. What was William Hurt’s cause of death? According to the news reports, his death was natural causes. His family, friends, and fans were all shocked to learn about this legendary actor’s passing, and many wanted to know more about him.
1. What Was William Hurt’s Life Like Growing Up?
William Hurt grew up in a good home. His mother and father lived in Washington, D.C., when he was born. His mother was employed by Time, and his father worked for both the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development. They had a busy life together, and they raised three boys. Hurt had two brothers. His parents divorced when he was still young, and he lived with both of them. He lived in many places with his father due to his dad’s job. When his mother remarried, he became the stepson of Henry Luce III. His step-grandfather was Henry Luce, the famous publisher.
Other than moving around a lot with his parents because of their divorce, William Hurt had a relatively normal childhood. He was part of the drama club. In fact, his high school yearbook superlatives call him the most likely to see on Broadway. Following high school, he fully intended to study theology. He began taking courses at Tufts for theology, but it was not for him. He gave it up to enroll in courses at Julliard. The rest, as they say, is history.
credit: The Big Chill
2. What About William Hurt’s Family?
William Hurt’s personal life was a little bit on the messy side. He is the father of four children and welcomed them with three women. He married Mary Beth Hurt for 11 years, from 1971 until 1982, but they never had any children together. Their marriage ended when Hurt’s mistress, Sandra Jennings, became pregnant. He told his wife, and their marriage ended. He welcomed his first child with his mistress, whom he never married. When their relationship ended, she attempted to sue him because she felt that their relationship should be recognized as a common-law marriage. She also alluded to the fact that he physically beat her five days after their baby was born. He denied that this ever happened.
However, he would later become involved in a relationship with actress Marlee Matlin, and she would also state that their relationship included physical abuse. She also accused Hurt of raping her. He also denied that and said that their relationship was filled with ups and downs, and they tried to heal, and it didn’t work. She also said that there was a lot of drug abuse during their time together. Finally, author Donna Kaz also accused Hurt of domestic violence in her own memoir. She dated him from 1977 until 1980, and she details her accusations in her book. He never said a word about that.
Following the end of his marriage and welcoming his first baby, he’d go on to welcome three more kids with two more women. William Hurt shares two children with Heidi Henderson. They were married from 1989 until 1993. Following the end of their marriage, his fourth child was born during the time he spent with Sandrine Bonnaire.
credit: Condor
3. Was William Hurt’s Death Unexpected?
People are still asking the question, how did William Hurt die? Natural causes are not a satisfactory explanation in the eyes of many people, and fans wanted to know more. Though it is no one’s business but his family’s, it turns out that the family did elaborate. William Hurt was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer prior to his death. He knew it was coming, and it was not unexpected news for his loved ones. They knew that his time was short, and they spent time with him in the days leading up to his death.
William Hurt died in his home. He lived in Portland, Oregon, at the time of his death. He was being monitored and cared for at the time, and his friends, family, and the people who worked with him throughout his long and successful career had nothing but lovely things to say about him following his death. “It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father, and Oscar-winning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday. He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time” is the statement that his son shared following the actor’s untimely death. The family still mourns the loss of their beloved father, and our hearts go out to them during this difficult time. It’s been nearly a year, and we know firsthand that the first anniversary of his death will be as difficult for them as the day they found out he was no longer with them.
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