Natalie Wood’s daughter reflects on how the actress continues to appear «eternally youthful,» more than four decades after her tragic passing (Exclusive)
Natasha Gregson Wagner shares that fans «truly feel like they knew her»
It’s been 43 years since the tragic death of actress Natalie Wood, and according to her daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, “It’s incredible that her relevance has endured all these years.
People really feel a connection to her, almost as if they have this protectiveness toward her.”
“I see it when people talk to me about her during my book tours,” says Natasha, who published a heartfelt memoir, More Than Love, about her mother in 2020. “I’m proud of her for having that kind of impact on people.
Maybe it was meant to be in some way—her ability to touch lives seems even more powerful now that she’s no longer here.”
Natasha was just 11 years old when her mother, 43, tragically drowned on Nov. 29, 1981. The trauma of the loss was so profound that it took Natasha, now 54, over three decades before she could openly discuss it.
Natasha Gregson Wagner, daughter of Natalie Wood, launched a gardenia-scented fragrance line in 2016 and produced the HBO documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind, which explored her mother’s life.
Reflecting on her career, Natasha says, “If you’d told me 10 years ago, I’d be doing this, I would’ve laughed. I wanted my own path.” Though she acted in her younger years, she adds, “I surrendered to what the universe had in store.”
She is amazed by the lasting interest in her mother’s iconic roles in films like Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story, which continue to impact audiences.
Natasha Gregson Wagner believes fans connect with her mother, Natalie Wood, because they watched her grow up on screen.
“She embodied so much humanity, and people feel almost parental about her,” Natasha says.
Her feelings about her mother’s death have changed over time, especially with Robert Wagner aging. He raised Natasha after Wood’s death, and now at 95, he will be her last parent to lose.
Becoming a parent herself, Natasha is teaching her daughter, Clover, about «Grandma Natalie» and says, “It’s amazing to turn my grief into something positive.”
