After years as a single dad, Pierce Brosnan found love again with his second wife, Keely Shaye Smith. The twosome has enjoyed marital bliss in the last two decades while nurturing a beautiful family.
In 1991, Pierce Brosnan’s family got hit hard when the actor lost his wife, Cassandra Harris, to cancer, leaving their kids to suffer the loss of their dear mom.
Before death came calling, the couple enjoyed a beautiful family comprising a son, Sean, who they welcomed in September 1983, and Harris’ two children, Charlotte and Chris, from a previous relationship.
The family experienced their worst moments in the four years before Harris’ death. Notably, Brosnan’s first wife received her cancer diagnosis in 1987, just four years after the birth of their only child together, Sean.
For years, the actor stood by his wife’s side, determined to help her fight the aggressive form of ovarian cancer.
He accompanied her to various hospital checks and surgeon visits. Brosnan admired the Canadian actress every step of the way as she took her destiny into her own hands by weighing her treatment options before taking them.
Harris underwent eight surgeries and chemo sessions and embraced holistic medicine and macrobiotics for a year and a half to no avail.
According to him, each session left his then-wife in a lot of pain, but Brosnan was always on-band to play doctor during the post-treatment phase. Despite the effort, Harris eventually passed away on December 28, 1991, surrounded by her beautiful family.
While the loss hit the actor hard, he knew his kids had it harder, especially his step-children, who dealt with the loss of their biological father five years prior.
Ultimately, the actor adopted his stepkids, then-teenagers, and dedicated the next ten years of his life to raising the youngsters as a single dad. To better fulfill his responsibility to his children, a grief-stricken Brosnan swore never to re-marry.
Becoming a single dad proved difficult for the actor, who until then, always had Harris on hand to manage his career, kids, and personal life. Yet, he remained determined to be the best dad to the trio, with the loss of the family matriarch making their bond tighter.
Despite feeling great pain over the loss, Brosnan knew the first phase to move on and ensure his kids’ well-being was to stay strong for them. Hence, he did just that, filling in the mom and dad role for Christopher, Charlotte, and Sean while keeping his acting career afloat.
Notably, Brosnan’s attempt to stay strong never prevented him from laying bare his emotions. Contrariwise, he let them see him cry, showed them his pain and loneliness, and invariably encouraged them to let out their grief and pain.
Eventually, the family found a rhythm that worked for everyone as gradually, the joy and laughter returned to their home once again.