Natalie Wood’s daughter breaks silence on mother’s death
Natasha Gregson Wagner has opened up about losing her famous mum aged 11, the damaging speculation surrounding her stepfather and her determination to preserve the Hollywood icon’s memory through previously unseen family letters.
Natalie Wood’s daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner has rejected the idea her Hollywood star mother was destined for tragedy – insisting the West Side Story actress was a powerful woman who controlled her own life before her mysterious death at 43.
Natasha, 56, was just 11 when Natalie drowned off California’s Catalina Island in November 1981, during a weekend aboard the family yacht Splendour.
Now, nearly 45 years later, she has spoken about her determination to protect her mother’s legacy, defended her stepfather Robert Wagner, 96, against decades of speculation surrounding the death and revealed plans to publish a collection of private family letters.
In an interview with journalist Gustavo Egusquiza for Vanity Fair Spain, she also discussed her fragrance business, L’Amour Mère, inspired by memories of her mother.
Asked about the biggest misconception surrounding Natalie, Natasha said: “Maybe that she was a tragic figure, doomed or overly vulnerable. She had an open heart and was very humanitarian, and you feel that when you watch her on screen. But she was completely in control of her life and enormously powerful as a businesswoman, as a wife, as a mother, and as a friend. She was the one in charge. She was strong, very strong. So the misconception is thinking she was tragic or doomed. I never experienced that with her.”
Natalie became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars after appearing as a child in the 1947 Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street.
She went on to star opposite James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, earning her first Academy Award nomination, before further Oscar nominations for Splendor in the Grass and Love with the Proper Stranger.
Her performances in West Side Story and Gypsy cemented her reputation as one of the defining actresses of her generation.
But her death became the subject of decades of investigations, documentaries and public speculation, particularly concerning Robert, whom she married twice.
The couple first married in 1957 before divorcing in 1962. Natalie subsequently married British producer Richard Gregson, Natasha’s biological father, before reuniting with Robert in 1972.
The couple also had a daughter, Courtney Wagner, now 52.
Natalie’s death was initially ruled accidental, but the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reopened the investigation in 2011.
The following year, the coroner amended her cause of death to “drowning and other undetermined factors”.
In 2018, investigators identified Robert as a person of interest. He has never been charged in connection with Natalie’s death.
Natasha said the continuing speculation had placed an enormous strain on her family, particularly her relationship with the man who raised her.
She said: “Grief is a very intimate feeling, a very private experience. But because I come from a famous family, mine was completely public, and that made me very protective of my family, especially my stepfather, Robert Wagner.”
Natasha added: “He has been a force of love and protection for me: he raised me as his own daughter and has loved me as if I were his flesh and blood. I know he would have done anything to protect my mother.”
Natasha also criticised the circulation of unsubstantiated claims about her family.
She said: “I think it’s reckless and dangerous when people make up lies or make assumptions that end up circulating as if they were the truth.”
Robert, best known for starring in the television detective series Hart to Hart and later appearing in the Austin Powers films, has denied involvement in Natalie’s death.
Natasha has continued to celebrate Natalie’s life through her work, including the 2020 HBO documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind, directed by Laurent Bouzereau.
Earlier this year, she also helped organise More Than Love, the Life and Art of Natalie Wood, an exhibition at California’s Muckenthaler Cultural Center featuring personal possessions, letters and costumes from her mother’s career.
Among the exhibits was the white lace dress Natalie wore in West Side Story.
Natasha is also preparing a book featuring correspondence between Natalie, Richard, Robert and other family members.
The letters were discovered by Natasha’s stepmother after Richard’s death in 2019 and have provided further insight into the family’s relationships.
Asked what she would tell Natalie if they could speak again for five minutes, Natasha said: “I’d tell her I’ve missed her so much. I’d thank her for making me feel so loved. And I’d tell her I’ve tried to be a good daughter, to take care of my dad and my sister Courtney… and that I wish she hadn’t died.”
