What Natalie Wood’s Daughters Recall About Her Untimely Death

Lauren Novak November 30, 3:01 pm

WEST SIDE STORY, Natalie Wood, 1961 — Everett Collection

The late Natalie Wood‘s eldest daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, still recalls the “bad feeling” she had in November 1981, the day her mother and stepfather, Robert Wagner, left for a boat trip. Sadly, Wood never returned home from that trip. She mysteriously disappeared from the yacht during the night and drowned at 43 years old, leaving behind two young daughters and a stepdaughter.

Although Natasha’s father was Wood’s second husband, Richard Gregson, she said she always considered Wagner to be her second father. Wood and Wagner shared a daughter named Courtney, and Wood was also stepmother to Wagner’s daughter Katie.

Natasha Gregson Wagner, Courtney Wagner & Katie Wagner

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Courtney looked back on the heartbreaking time in their lives and shared, “My dad and sisters experienced a true tragedy together and were each traumatized, but we had each other to make living bearable, and found ways to move on.”

Robert Wagner and Daughters Natasha Gregson Wagner and Courtney Wagner

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Now, the girls aim to keep their mother’s legacy alive by talking about how she was as a mother and a person, not just an actress. Natasha shared, “She was really funny and she was fierce and she was happy. That’s how I remember her.”

THE AFFAIR, from left: Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, 1973

Everett Collection

She continued about life after her mother’s death, “I think my dad and Daddy Gregson, they were trying to pick up the pieces for us and stumble forward and find out what our life looked like after that. I was so lucky I had two dads who were deeply committed to raising me and helping me through.”

Courtney added, “Having gone through something like that together I always felt especially bonded to my dad and Katie and Natasha.” To learn more about their experiences, you can watch the HBO documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind on the streaming service Max.