Robert Redford’s son James dies at 58 after liver cancer battle

James Redford – son of acting legend Robert Redford – died at his home in Marin County, California at the age of 58 on Friday following a liver cancer battle. 

On Monday morning his wife, Kyle, took to Twitter by posting a gallery of photos of the filmmaker and activist to commemorate his life. 

She wrote: ‘Jamie died today. We’re heartbroken. He lived a beautiful, impactful life & was loved by many. He will be deeply missed. 

‘As his wife of 32 yrs, I’m most grateful for the two spectacular children we raised together. I don’t know what we would’ve done w/o them over the past 2yrs.’ 

Redford had battled Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis – a rare auto-immune disease affecting the liver – for almost 30 years.  

James has two children with Kyle – 29-year-old actor son Dylan and actress Lena – as they were featured in a couple of photos in the tribute gallery.  

Kyle later confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune that her husband had died due to bile-duct cancer in his liver which had been discovered while waiting for a transplant last November. 

His struggles with health had began from childhood as he received two liver transplants in 1993.

The philanthropist went on to found the James Redford Institute For Transplant Awareness which was a non profit with the aim of education people about organ and tissue donation.

He later founded non-profit The Redford Center  with his father Robert – who is now 84 – which has the goal of producing films and even providing grants to filmmakers who focus in on the environment and climate in hopes of finding a solution to climate change.

Executive director of the charity, Jill Tidman, also shared the news of his passing on Instagram writing: ‘It is with profound sadness that we grieve the loss of James Redford, our Co-Founder, our inspiration and our friend.’

‘With Jamie came love and contagious joy. He approached everything he did with kindness and warmth, and an openness that spread itself easily among others.

‘Jamie worked tirelessly to build a healthier world for us all, and particularly for those most in need of support. He always led with his enormous heart and was guided by his curiosity and creative spirit. He was a fierce protector of the natural world and believed that everyone deserved a healthy environment in which they could thrive and play.’

James – whose mother is Lola Van Wagenen – followed in the footsteps  of his legendary father as a filmmaker mostly in documentaries which focused on the health and the environment.

Ever the family man, his first documentary was released in 2012 – titled The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia – and was inspired by his son Dylan’s struggles with dyslexia in high school. 

He went on to make several films including 2013’s Paper Tigers, 2016’s Resilience, and 2017’s Happening: A Clean Energy Revolution.

His most recent film – titled Playing For Keeps – premiered this month at the Mill Valley Film Festival as it went mostly virtual. 

Redford’s wife Kyle also told The Salt Lake Tribune that he was near completion of directing Where The Past Begins which is a documentary for PBS’s American Masters which traces the immigrant journey of The Joy Luck Club author Amy Tan.