Natalie Wood Died in 1981 — One Daughter ‘Defamed Her Name’ While the Other Built a Beautiful Family

• This article explores the kind of mom Natalie Wood was to her kids.

• Wood’s two daughters were 11 and 7 years old when she died – and her death made a significant impact on their lives.

• This article will further detail how Wood’s adult kids live now and her only granddaughter.

The famed late actress, Natalie Wood, was a mother of two daughters, Natasha Gregson Wagner, and Courtney Wagner. The Hollywood screen icon shares her first child Natasha with her second husband, British booker Richard Gregson – who died in 2019.

The former couple was married from 1969 to 1972 and welcomed their only child together on September 29, 1970. Wood later had her youngest daughter Courtney on March 9, 1974, with her first husband, actor Robert Wagner. She married him twice between 1957 – 1962 and 1972 – 1981.

The doting mom and her loved ones led an “idyllic family life,” as her eldest daughter revealed they marked every holiday as a unit. The blended family enjoyed hosting big events and invited their famous friends, including Audrey Hepburn and Laurence Olivier, to their humble abode.

“My parents celebrated all the holidays to the maximum: Easter, Christmas, Halloween, and birthdays were all a big deal,” Natasha recalled in January 2021.

The author’s parents also went all out for birthday gifts, as she received many of them whenever she celebrated a life milestone. When Natasha turned 13, her mom and dad gifted her an Arabian horse.

Moreover, her childhood was straight out of a Hollywood privileged life – having Academy Award-winning actress Ruth Gordon as a godmother.

The California native’s childhood home had a fireplace in every room, and the family had two cooks, a housekeeper, a driver, and a handyman.

Natasha lost her beloved mother when she was little and recounted begging her not to leave before tragically losing her life in a boating accident.

Wood’s Death Made Her Kids Struggle in Life

Wood drowned at age 43 while sailing off Catalina Island on November 29, 1981, leaving behind her daughters, who were 11 and 7 years old at the time. More than 30 years after her death, her former husband, Robert, candidly spoke about her untimely passing and his close bond with his stepdaughter, Natasha, in April 2016:

“We were all so shattered by the loss, and we were hanging on to each other. My bond with Natasha is very, very intense. We’ve hung onto each other through the years, and she means the world to me.”

Meanwhile, his stepchild told People in May 2021 that she could freely discuss her mother’s death in a memoir, “More Than Love.”

Natasha, who considers Richard and Robert as both her fathers, said, “I was ready to talk about it. My Dad [Robert Wagner] was ready to talk about it and everything came together.”

As an adult, she admitted her mother’s death influenced the type of men she got involved with. During the 1990s, Natasha dated filmmaker Josh Evans, whose parents are actress Ali McGraw and producer Robert Evans. She later wed DV DeVincentis, the writer of the screenplay “High Fidelity” in 2003. However, the pair divorced in 2008.

“I think, in adult life, I was always looking for a mother. Often, I would choose very maternal men, who would mother me, but it would get confusing because, after a certain amount of time, I would want to grow up, so to speak, within the relationship,” Natasha revealed, adding:

“By the time that happened, the dynamic would have been established where I was the child and they were the parent and it would cause a lot of trouble and problems.”

Natasha’s mom was accompanied by Robert and co-star actor Christopher Walken when she went missing from the family’s yacht. She was later discovered dead in the waters.

In the years following Wood’s passing, an investigation ensued on how she died, and her then-husband was identified as the prime suspect.

Natasha confronted her stepfather about her parent’s death in the HBO documentary that she produced, “Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind.” She wanted him to tell his side of the story and asked him who was with her mom on the yacht before she vanished.

He, along with his wife and Walken, all went to dinner offshore that fateful evening. Once they arrived back on the boat, the two men started arguing while heavily drunk, and Robert revealed he and Walken were fighting about Wood’s workload.

She allegedly made her way below the deck to sleep while the duo carried on, but after some time, they made peace. When Robert went to check on his wife, she was nowhere to be found. He and Walken learned the next morning that Wood’s body had been discovered at sea.

The brunette beauty’s death was initially ruled as an accident. Still, it was later changed from accidental drowning to “drowning and other undetermined factors – after her case was reopened in 2011. In 2018, Robert was named as the “person of interest” in the investigation.

The “Lost Highway” star’s younger half-sibling also delved into the subject in 2015 and expressed relief that there were no social media platforms when their mother died. “I’m so glad that wasn’t around when we went through that as a family. After it happened, we moved out of the country for a while,” said Courtney in a radio interview.

She also touched on how her father, Robert, was bombarded by paparazzi concerning her mom’s death and asked him why he never commented on the tragedy.

Courtney explained, “He was not answering questions [from photographers]. And I was sort of put off, wondering why he wasn’t answering these simple questions. And he explained to me that all they want is a soundbite. They just want some words that they can then concoct, you know, I got it.”

While her big sister kept her life in check, the same cannot be said about herself, as she has run into trouble with the law several times.

When the Los Angeles native was fourteen, she attempted suicide by cutting her wrists and almost died in the hospital. At age 23 in 1997, Courtney tried to take her own life yet again – and this time, she took an overdose of pills – the same way her late mother had tried to kill herself in 1966.

Moreover, she was allegedly found in possession of cocaine and heroin at her Malibu home on April 22, 2012. Courtney was apprehended on suspicion of felony drug possession but got let go on $10,000 bail the next day.

In addition, she remained mum about her mother’s death for years as speculation of her dad being a suspect gained momentum. Courtney expressed anger about what the tabloids wrote about her father:

“It made me feel especially angry for all the terrible things said about my father. I was furious at the accusations being said about him; it felt incredibly disrespectful especially knowing the source of where these accusations came from.”

Courtney said it was clear that the media was capitalizing on the family’s tragic loss, making her overly “protective” of her only living parent, Robert.

Consequently, she admitted to numbing the pain and anger by self-medicating with substances which “worked for me for many, many years.”

In April 2016, she opened up more on the 31st anniversary of Wood’s death by recalling when she first learned that her mom was no longer alive:

“I remember waking up to my sister screaming, and luckily, I had a nanny that I was very close to that was by my side. There were all these people in the living room, and my dad told me I wasn’t going to see my mom again. I was just trying to make sense of it, and dad was asking if we wanted to go and see her one last time.”

According to an autopsy report, Wood died by drowning and hypothermia. However, there have been numerous factors mentioned that could have caused her death.

The former child star’s homicide case was re-opened after a worker on the ship claimed that she and Robert had been fighting that night, which could have led to her passing. This is the idea that infuriated Courtney:

“There are certain people in our lives that continue to drudge up all this speculation and stories every year for no other reason than to indulge themselves.”

Over the years, she has been constantly reminded about how her mother died. Courtney revealed when she watched the now-defunct chat show “Fashion Police,” Joan Rivers mentioned something like “going to a pool party at Natalie Wood’s house.” Courtney said it was appalling how someone could find such a statement humorous.

In dealing with Wood’s death by self-inflicting harm and indulging in substance abuse, Courtney expressed feeling shameful for tainting her beloved parent’s name:

“A label was put on me, and I felt so badly that my mom was associated with having a so-called ‘junkie daughter.’ I was so upset that I had defamed her name, and I had to look at how I could make this better for my mom and find healthier ways to deal with everything that has happened to me.”

Natasha & Courtney’s Lives Today & Wood’s Only Grandchild

Courtney turned her life around by shifting her focus to do what she loves – jewelry designing. Many years ago, she co-founded the Wagner & Ko collection, named her namesake and her partner, whose last name was Ko.

However, when Courtney decided to revive her passion, she ventured independently. She said she wanted her deceased mother to be “proud” of her work.

Throughout the years, Wood’s fans have shown love and support for her lookalike daughters. In August 2020, her youngest child Courtney posted a video on Natalie Wood Day and expressed awe that such a day exists in memory of her. “I’m so excited that there is a Natalie Wood Day. That’s the coolest thing,” she said.

Courtney further divulged how she chooses which of her mom’s movies to watch and noted that it was tricky to pick her favorite because the Hollywood golden star starred in such a variety of films.

But she revealed she watches the 1983 movie, “Brainstorm,” when she misses her mom. Courtney explained there is a “sweet scene” in the film whereby Wood sings a Russian lullaby to Walken – the same song she used to sing around the family home.

Facebook users commented on the clip, and some argued about her appearance. “You are so lovely… cross between your Mom and Dad,” wrote one individual.

One person echoed the same sentiments, “You are absolutely beautiful like your Mom!” But another user disagreed, writing: “She hardly looks like her mother.”

Courtney, is now an aunt, and her mom Wood is now a grandmother of one as Natasha and her then-long-time boyfriend, actor Barry Watson, welcomed their first child together on May 30, 2012.

“We are overwhelmed with love and joy at the birth of our daughter Clover Clementyne Watson,” the couple said in a statement at the time. Natasha and Watson, who wed in 2015, named their child after Wood’s 1965 movie, “Inside Daisy Clover.”

While Natasha is a first-time mom, this is her husband’s third child. Watson has two sons, Oliver and Felix, from his previous marriage to reality TV star Tracy Hutson.

Natasha also became an actress like her famous mother and has starred in “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (2000), 2004’s “House” and “Date My Dad” (2017).

The mother of one’s spouse is also known for his acting stint on the 1996 drama series, “7th Heaven.” In September 2017, Watson went down memory lane by posting a throwback photo of the cast from the show on Instagram.

The Michigan native captioned his post: “Guess who’s coming to lunch tomorrow? #tbt #7thheaven @beverleymitchell @jessicabiel @mackadeeznuts #davidgallagher #happythe dog.”

Watson started his career with modeling but later relocated to Burbank, California, where he instantly landed a role in the popular soap, “Days of Our Lives.” He also appeared in the series, “Malibu Shores.”

On December 21, Watson honored his wife when they celebrated their third wedding anniversary. He posted a snapshot of the pair by the water and wrote: “How lucky am I? I’m so lucky because this beautiful human decided to marry me three years ago today. Happy Anniversary @ngdubdubs. You make my heart vibrate and sing.”

The father of three also celebrated his only daughter in May 2019 when he paid tribute to her on her seventh birthday. Watson penned that his child is loved by her parents and half-brothers. “And in return, we get such bright warm love from you.”

The doting dad paid yet another homage to Clover’s mom on social media on September 29, 2021. He shared several images of him and his wife and gushed that she “still takes my breath away and makes my world go round.”

Watson’s spouse and daughter stepped out on July 20, 2016, to attend “The Shop: Curve & Tom Dixon Launch Party in California and were snapped together. The mother-and-daughter duo posed in casual outfits for the occasion and beamed at the camera.

Young Clover has captured people’s attention as social media users mentioned how pretty she is and that she is “growing up so fast.”

The comments came after her dad shared her photo during the holiday season in December 2018, with ketchup on her face as she laughed.

However, things have changed as Clover’s father only posts pictures of her by hiding her face – protecting her from media attention. He shared a snap of Clover in March 2018 while revealing they were “enjoying a summer canoe ride,” and she had her back against the camera.

Besides having well-known parents, Clover is the only grandchild of the Oscar-nominated star, Wood. The youngster’s mom Natasha previously disclosed she knows all there is to know about her late grandmother:

“I realize how important it is that generations to come know about my mom’s beauty and her talent.”

The loving parent has done an excellent job at that as her daughter was obsessed with her grandparent’s 1961 musical film, “West Side Story.” Natasha revealed after she and her child saw the movie, Clover consistently kept asking to watch “Feel Pretty on “YouTube” and deemed it “Maria and her friends.”

The “Glam” star said her daughter “definitely inherited the entertainer gene.” Natasha added her offspring is also “into Gypsy, and she likes ‘Got to Get a Gimmick.'”

She explained it is unfortunate that Clover is interested in such as she “knows all the words to that song, which does not make my husband very happy.”

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “help” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.