Sandra Bullock and her family are in mourning. News broke today that star's partner, photographer Bryan Randall, passed away over the weekend at age 57 after a private battle with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease.
The couple had been together since 2015, and the Oscar-winning actress, 59, had called Bryan the "love of my life." They lived a quiet life together with her children Louis, 13, Laila, 11, and his older daughter Skylar, from a previous relationship. "I found the love of my life. We share two beautiful children – three children, [Randall's] older daughter. It's the best thing ever," she said in 2018. She also noted: "He's the example that I would want my children to have," adding: "I have a partner who's very Christian and there are two different ways of looking at things. I don't always agree with him, and he doesn't always agree with me. But he is an example even when I don't agree with him.
Save for a few interviews, Sandra had been immensely private about her life away from the spotlight; she does not mantain a social media account or never made public appearances with either Bryan or her children.
The Oscar winner announced last year that she would be devoting more time to family, taking a break from acting to be more present as a mom.
Sandra's last project as a lead was 2022's The Lost City with Channing Tatum and Daniel Radcliffe, followed by a cameo in Brad Pitt's Bullet Train later that year.
While she'd opened up about her intent to take a step back earlier that year, it was in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in June that she made her motive clear.
"Work has always been steady for me, and I've been so lucky," she said. "I realized it possibly was becoming my crutch. It was like opening up a fridge all the time and looking for something that was never in the fridge.
"I said to myself, 'Stop looking for it here because it doesn't exist here. You already have it; establish it, find it and be OK not having work to validate you.'"
Sandra further added: "I'm so burnt out. I'm so tired, and I'm so not capable of making healthy, smart decisions and I know it," while also explaining to Entertainment Tonight: "And I just want to be 24/7 with my babies and my family. That's where I'm gonna be for a while."
The Bird Box actress had begun the process of adoption with her ex-husband Jesse James back in 2009, but when they split, she decided to go at it as a solo mom, welcoming home son Louis, who was born in Louisiana in January 2010.
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While the toddler was spotted making a few public appearances beside his famous mom, such as at the 2013 Venice Film Festival and the hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre later that year, his mom kept him away from the spotlight.
However, he made a major appearance at the end of 2015, when Sandra announced via People that she had adopted Laila, who was three and a half years old at the time, from Louisiana as well.
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The same year, she met Bryan, a photographer who was hired for Louis' fifth birthday party, where sparks flew.
Bryan rarely ever made public appearances alongside Sandra, and was only seen a handful of times during the Ocean's 8 promotional cycle in 2018.
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However, he had become a doting dad to her two children, and when appearing on Red Table Talk in December 2021, she opened up about the prospect of marrying him.
"I don't want to say do it like I do it, but I don't need a paper to be a devoted partner, devoted mother," she stated. "I don't need to be told to weather a storm with a good man."