Kate Beckinsale’s Heartbreaking Family Tragedy: From Finding Her Father Dead to Holding Her Mother’s Last Breath—What the Stars Say About Her Pain
Added on July 18, 2025 inCelebrity News Cards
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Warning upfront: this piece contains talk of cancer, which can be a tough nut to crack emotionally. Now, here’s a ponder for you — can the stars really help us navigate grief, or is it just cosmic coincidence that Kate Beckinsale faced such heartbreak under Cancer season’s tender, reflective gaze? In a profoundly personal Instagram announcement, the 51-year-old actress revealed that her mother, Judy Loe, passed away in her arms following a stage 4 cancer diagnosis in July 2024. Beckinsale, whose own early life was shadowed by tragedy when she found her father dead at age five, has long carried an unspoken dread of loss — a fear she’s now faced again. Judy, an accomplished actress in her own right, left behind a vast imprint of love and bravery, qualities her daughter vividly celebrates amidst immeasurable sorrow. It begs the question — in the celestial dance of fate and free will, how do we find light when the universe dims so deeply? LEARN MORE
Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing
Kate Beckinsale has announced that her mom, Judy Loe, died in her arms after she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in July 2024.
Beckinsale, 51, took to Instagram to share the sad news and admitted it had been her ‘greatest fear’ ever since she found her father, Richard Beckinsale, dead when she was just five-years-old.
It was 1979 when Richard died when he was just 31, after he suffered a heart attack.
Beckinsale has previously offered some insight into what happened in a post on Instagram, writing: “Finding my father‘s dead body alone in the middle of the night at the age of five shaped my entire life.”
In a new post shared on July 17, the Underworld actor admitted she didn’t ‘want to post’ the news of her mother’s passing, but chose to do so because she had to register her mom’s death certificate and new it would become public record.
Kate Beckinsale found her dad after he suffered a heart attack (Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)
She went on to explain that Judy died ‘in [her] arms’ on the night of July 15, after ‘immeasurable suffering’.
She continued: “I have not picked all the best photos, nor the best videos, because I cannot bear to go through my camera roll yet. I deeply apologise to any of her friends who are finding out this way or through the press, but I cannot go through her phone. I am paralysed.”
Beckinsale described her mom as ‘the compass of my life, the love of my life, my dearest friend’.
“The vastness and huge heart of this tiny woman has touched so many people who love her dearly,” she continued. “She has been brave in so many ways, forgiving sometimes too much, believing in the ultimate good in people and the world is so dim without her that it is nearly impossible to bear.
“Mama, I love you so much. This has been my greatest fear since finding my father dead at five and I am here. Oh my Mama.. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I am so sorry.”
Kate Beckinsale described Judy Loe as ‘irreplaceable’ (Karwai Tang/Getty Images)
Beckinsale’s post has been flooded with well-wishes from followers sharing their condolences, with the post coming just months after Beckinsale asked for prayers for her mom.
In February 2025, she shared a series of videos of Judy and wrote: “I wasn’t going to come back to Instagram, but anyone who has a spare prayer or magic or miracle or sunbeam please send it to my mama, my most extraordinary, warrior, generous, humble, loving, unique, irreplaceable Mama.”
Like her daughter, Judy had made a career as an actor and landed roles in the musical Hair and Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
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