Gwyneth Paltrow’s father Bruce Paltrow died in 2002 at age 58 from cancer-related pneumonia

Gwyneth Paltrow and Bruce Paltrow on Oct. 24, 2001. PHOTO: RON GALELLA, LTD./RON GALELLA COLLECTION VIA GETTY IMAGES

Gwyneth Paltrow is celebrating her late father Bruce Paltrow.

2On Sunday, Gwyneth, 51, shared a photo to her Instagram Story showing a framed black-and-white picture of Bruce, who died in October 2002 at 58 after a years-long battle with throat cancer. Sunday would have marked the director-producer’s 80th birthday.

I wish you were here to celebrate your 80th today,” Gwyneth wrote in a caption in her post. “I miss you and love you more than ever, if that were possible.”

6Gwyneth’s father Bruce and her mother, actor Blythe Danner, met while working on a Broadway play together in 1969 and married the next year. Bruce and Danner, now, 80, shared son Jake Paltrow, 48, in addition to Gwyneth.

8Back in August, the Oscar winner opened up about her dad during an Instagram Story Q&A with her 8.3 million followers.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Instagram Story 11.26.23.GWYNETH PALTROW/INSTAGRAM

Responding to a fan who asked, “What do u miss the most from your dad?” Gwyneth said in a video response, “I miss my dad so much and I miss his humor. I was just on a walk with a friend this morning, and even she was talking about the things that my dad used to say. His phrases. He was kind of a philosopher, in his own way. And just had the most brilliant one-liners.”

He helped me get through life and [taught me] how to deal with a lot of stuff, and he would have helped me keep perspective all the time,” she added at the time.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Bruce Paltrow, Blythe Danner and Jake Paltrow. EVAN AGOSTINI/IMAGEDIRECT

Gwyneth honored both of her parents by giving their first names to her children Moses Martin, 17, and Apple Martin, 19, whom she shares with ex-husband Chris Martin. Moses’s middle name is Bruce; Apple’s middle name is Blythe.

In recent years, the Goop founder has been open about how hard she took Bruce’s death. Back in May 2022, she shared that she initially thought her grief “was gonna split me open” in the first year after her father died.

Bruce Paltrow, Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow. GREGG DEGUIRE/WIREIMAGE

I woke up in the middle of the night and I thought I was having a heart attack. The only reason I didn’t call the emergency services is because I didn’t know that in England you dial 999; in America it’s 911. Honestly, I thought I was dying,” she shared on the podcast By the Light of the Moon. “It was really, really tough.”

The first year was just beyond— I don’t know how we all got through it, my mother, my brother and I. It was pretty messed up,” Gwyneth added during that podcast appearance. Anyone will tell you, who loses a love of their life like that, there’s just no other way but through. You just try to process your grief and keep going.”