Bryan Randall may not be physically here anymore, but Sandra Bullock’s love for him will never die.
On Monday, we reported that the Miss Congeniality star’s longtime boyfriend had sadly passed away over the weekend after a private, three-year battle with ALS. His family announced the news in a statement to multiple outlets:
“It is with great sadness that we share that on Aug. 5, Bryan Randall passed away peacefully after a three-year battle with ALS. Bryan chose early to keep his journey with ALS private and those of us who cared for him did our best to honor his request. We are immensely grateful to the tireless doctors who navigated the landscape of this illness with us and to the astounding nurses who became our roommates, often sacrificing their own families to be with ours. At this time we ask for privacy to grieve and to come to terms with the impossibility of saying goodbye to Bryan.”
While Sandy, herself, has yet to make a public statement, her sister Gesine praised her for the “amazing” care she helped provide for the late photographer in a touching Instagram post. It’s clear the Gravity actress’ love for her cherished partner was unending. While they may have never officially married, a new report reveals the two did profess their love for one another in an intimate ceremony.
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DailyMail.com reported Tuesday that the lovebirds exchanged “vows” during a retreat to the Three Bees Villa on Harbor Island in the Bahamas, alongside close friends and family in December 2017. This was three years before Randall would be diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease. Video obtained by the outlet shows the two dancing under the stars following their unofficial ceremony, which was not legally binding and was not officiated. Bullock is said to have declared Randall as “the love of my life,” which he also did in return.
According to a friend who was present for the event, part of the reason the two held the ceremony was for Bullock’s adopted children, son Louis, 13, and daughter Laila, 11:
“They really did this for the children, to kind of seal the deal and show them this was a forever thing. After the ceremony Louis and Laila started calling Bryan dad.”
So sweet.
Another guest who was in attendance suggested the ceremony also served as a combined celebration for Randall’s birthday:
“It was Bryan’s birthday on December 31 so it’s like they wanted to celebrate everything all at once.”
So why didn’t they get married for real?
During a 2021 interview on Red Table Talk, Sandy opened up about her relationship with Randall. She gushed about him, calling him a “saint” and a great “example” for her children. She was asked by an audience member why they didn’t get hitched, and she reminded everyone she had “through the divorce process” before and didn’t want to again. Obviously we all remember the tragedy that was her marriage to Jesse James. The less said about that the better. But she continued about her current match:
“I found the love of my life. We share two beautiful children — three children, he’s got his older daughter. It’s the best thing ever. I don’t want to say do it how I do it, but I don’t need a paper to be a devoted partner and a devoted mother.”
Awww! She also noted portentously:
“I don’t need to be told to be ever-present in the hardest of times. I don’t need to be told to weather a storm with a good man.”
Unbeknownst to the public, Randall had already been battling ALS at the time. Clearly this was the storm she was referring to. So sad.
Speaking of weathering, despite recent rumors that Randall and Sandy’s relationship had been strained, a source told DailyMail.com in their Tuesday report that they were “more together than ever” at the time of his tragic passing, and that The Heat actress had been overseeing all his round-the-clock care:
“Sandra kept Bryan hidden away in the back of the house. It’s so big that you could conceal what was going on with him but towards the end she really didn’t let people into the home beyond the doctors and nurses who were looking after him. It was quite convenient for them to have these rumors that they’d broken up because it helped conceal what was really going on. It was easier to let people assume they hadn’t seen him because they were no longer together.”
The source added that his illness was “really hard for the children,” but that Sandra did her best to protect his health — and privacy.
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Mia St. John, a longtime friend of the late photographer, told the US Sun Tuesday that she hadn’t heard from him for an entire year before his death:
“I was wondering what had happened to him because I hadn’t heard from him in over a year. And so I thought, ‘Well, that’s really weird.”
She added:
“He never forgot a holiday, Paris’ birthday, the anniversary of my son’s death- he never forgot things like that. And so it’s been a long time and I was thinking, ‘God, I hope he’s OK. I haven’t heard from him.”
Sadly, she told the outlet, “Now it all makes sense.”
So heartbreaking. Poor Sandra… she’s been through so much. But how special is it that she and Bryan got to exchange vows? That’s surely something she and her two children, who were loved dearly by the former model, will never forget. Rest in peace, Bryan.
[Images via Michael Wright/MEGA/WENN]
