Sandra Bullock’s partner has died from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 57. Bryan Randall passed away on August 5 after a 3-year struggle against the devastating illness. A statement from the family read, “It is with great sadness that we share that on August 5th Bryan Randall passed away peacefully after a 3-year battle with ALS.” His relatives said Bryan chose to keep his condition private “and those of us who cared for him did our best to honor his request.”
The couple met in 2015 but largely kept their relationship under wraps. Bullock is one of Hollywood’s most private stars, so news of Randall’s illness was not made public. A photographer, Bullock hired Randall to take pictures of her young adopted son’s birthday party, and the pair quickly became close. The movie star adopted another young girl after she met and formed a relationship with Randall.
While they were seen on the Hollywood red carpet together, and their romance was not secret, it was November 2021 before Bullock spoke in detail about Randall. “He’s the example that I would want my children to have,” she said.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that is often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease because the baseball star was diagnosed with the illness in 1941. According to the Mayo Clinic, it attacks the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and causes muscle control loss. Its origins and causes are not fully understood.
ALS destroys a person’s ability to speak, eat, move, and eventually breathe. Symptoms can begin mildly with clumsiness, muscle cramps, or heightened emotions; these will advance to limb weakness, slurred speech, trouble swallowing, and tripping and falling over.
Around 5,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease every year, and post-diagnosis life expectancy is approximately five years – although 20% of patients live longer than that. There is no cure and available treatment can only prolong life by about one year.
