Robert Wagner Posts Surprising Tribute to Natalie Wood on Anniversary, 44 Years After Her Suspicious Death

Remind Staff July 16, 12:54 pm

From left, Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, ca. 1960 — Everett Collection

53 years ago, Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood tied the knot a second time; less than a decade later, Wood died under mysterious circumstances while out on a yacht with Wagner. But despite the controversy surrounding her death — in 2011, the case was reopened by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department — 95-year-old Wagner honored their second wedding today, writing “Always a special place in my heart. Happy Anniversary Nat! More Than Love.”

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Wagner also posted a snap of himself with step-daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner yesterday, writing “Always the best when my girl comes to visit. So grateful for the time together, the laughs, and the love. Love you, Natasha. 💕

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Natasha was born in 1970 to Wood and producer Richard Gregson; when Wood remarried Wagner in 1972, Natasha was just a toddler. Though not his biological daughter, Natasha quickly became part of Wagner’s world, and after her mother’s tragic death in 1981, when Natasha was only 11, Wagner raised her, along with her younger sister Courtney and his daughter Katie from a previous marriage. Their relationship has remained close, and she has been outspoken in saying that he played no role in her mother’s death: in 2020, she told People, “It’s outrageous and completely unacceptable that others have created this narrative about my dad and the night my mom died … I know that if my mom had been in any kind of distress he would have given his life for her. I know that as as well as I know my name.”

Over the years, Natasha has followed in her mother’s footsteps, carving out a career in acting with roles in Urban Legend, High Fidelity and more. In 2020, she released a memoir called More Than Love, sharing personal stories about her family and her grief.

She also produced the HBO documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind, which offered an intimate look at her mother’s life. Natasha is also a mom herself now, raising daughter Clover with husband Barry Watson.

Wood, who was born in 1938, was an Oscar-nominated icon of ’50s and ’60s cinema, starring in films like Rebel Without a Cause, The Searchers, West Side Story, Gypsy, and Splendor in the Grass. In 1957, she married Wagner for the first time; they divorced in 1962, only to reunite and remarry a decade later.

On November 29, 1981, Wood, then 43, drowned in the Pacific Ocean, near California’s Santa Catalina Island, while in the middle of filming the movie Brainstorm; she had set out the day before on a yacht with Wagner and costar Christopher Walken. Conflicting witness statements about Wood’s death have made many consider it one of Hollywood’s greatest mysteries.

TV star Wagner saw success on the small screen from the ’60s through the ’80s, beginning with his 1968 show It Takes a Thief. At the time of Wood’s death, he was starring in the hit mystery series Hart to Hart. He embarked on his fourth marriage with third wife Jill St. John in 1990; the two are still together.