William Sadler is grieving the loss of his wife, Marni Joan Bakst, after 46 years of marriage.
"The Shawshank Redemption" star shared the heartbreaking news in a tribute posted to Facebook this week.
In his post, Sadler revealed that Bakst had passed away after a two-year battle with cancer. He shared a heartfelt throwback photo of the couple from their wedding day on May 6, 1978, both holding coffee mugs and smiling at the camera.
"Early yesterday morning, my wife, Marni Bakst, finally lost her two-year battle with cancer," Sadler wrote. "After what has been an amazing forty-five years of marriage, I don’t think I can fathom or put into words much of this yet. Maybe with time and a little distance I’ll find it easier to describe this extraordinary artist, feminist, wife, and mother, but for now, I want to thank you all for your patience and kind words. Yours, Bill."
The tribute touched the hearts of Sadler’s fans, who flooded the comments with love, support, and condolences, writing things like, "My sincerest condolences, Bill. Your years together must have been so remarkable. Wishing you love and peace."
Sadler shared the same photo back in May 2023 to celebrate his 45th wedding anniversary, writing, "This picture was taken the morning of our wedding, exactly forty five years ago today. The extraordinary looking young woman with the huge eyes is Ms. Marni Bakst. The lucky young man is me. All these years later I still bring her coffee, she still has those beautiful eyes, and I’m still the luckiest man on this, or any other planet. Happy Anniversary Marni!❤️ Love aways, Bill."