Rob Delaney Speaks out About Grief on First Christmas Since Loss of 2-Year-Old Son

Rob Delaney reflected on the loss of his youngest child on his first Christmas since his son Henry’s death.

The Catastrophe star took to Twitter Wednesday to pen an emotional message to fans revealing how he and his wife Leah, as well as their two older sons, spent Christmas almost a year after 2½-year-old Henry passed away following a battle with brain cancer.

“Our first Christmas without Henry came & went,” Delaney wrote. “The day itself was okay, maybe because there were so many horrible, painful days leading up to it; we must have hit our quota or something. We talked about him a lot & included his memory throughout the day.

“I speak publicly about Henry in an effort to destigmatize grief,” he continued. “My family is sad & in pain because our beautiful 2 yr old boy died after a long illness. Why wouldn’t we be sad? Why wouldn’t we be angry and confused?”

“Tweets like this aren’t therapeutic to me, nor are they ‘updates’. I just want other bereaved parents & siblings to feel seen/heard/respected/loved. And maybe they might help someone not schooled in grief support a friend better. I don’t know,” he wrote in a third tweet, going on to share a photo of Henry.

Delaney’s post was met with support from fellow stars, who reached out to share their own stories of grief and loss.

“Sending your family my love,” The Office alum Angela Kinsey wrote. “My Dad passed away and then my nephew within a short time of each other a few years ago. Grief is still a day by day journey for us and the holidays seem to magnify it all. Thanks for posting. I think it’s important to know we are not alone in grief.”

Henry passed away in January following a battle with brain cancer, an announcement that Delaney made via a post on his Facebook page just a month later.

“I have very sad news. My two and a half year year old son Henry has passed away. Henry had been diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016, shortly after his first birthday, following persistent vomiting and weight loss. He had surgery to remove the tumor and further treatment through the early part of 2017. Then the cancer returned last autumn and he died in January,” he wrote in part.

In the months since his son’s death, the Catastrophe star has frequently reflected on his loss. Including tributes to Henry on momentous days like Father’s Day, Delaney has also opened up about Henry’s battle with cancer in a book that he began writing shortly after his son’s diagnosis.