Oftentimes, celebrities with their millions and lavish lifestyles can seem far removed from the day-to-day experiences of everyday people. Yet that doesn’t exclude them from experiencing tragedy like the rest of us. Actor Pierce Brosnan, best-known for his role as James Bond, knows this firsthand, after experiencing the death of his first wife, actress Cassandra Harris, from ovarian cancer in 1991. Harris was only 41 at the time and the pair had been married for 11 years. They had one child, Sean, who was born in 1983. Brosnan also adopted Harris’s two other children, Charlotte and Christopher, from a previous marriage after their father died in 1986. Harris battled the cancer for 4 years before finally succumbing. ““I went through it all, very publicly,” Pierce said. “Such things draw a mark across your heart and it’s always a part of your life. To watch someone you love have their life eaten away – bit by bit, by this insidious and horrid disease – becomes an indelible part of your psyche,” he said of the experience.

It wasn’t the end of personal tragedies for Brosnan. In 2013, the daughter he had adopted, Charlotte Harris, also succumbed to ovarian cancer like her mother. She was just 42. Brosnan shared the news to People the time. “On June 28 at 2 p.m. my darling daughter Charlotte Emily passed on to eternal life, having succumbed to ovarian cancer. She was surrounded by her husband Alex, children Isabella and Lucas and brothers Christopher and Sean.” He added, “Charlotte fought her cancer with grace and humanity, courage and dignity. Our hearts are heavy with the loss of our beautiful dear girl. We pray for her and that the cure for this wretched disease will be close at hand soon. We thank everyone for their heartfelt condolences.” Brosnan called the loss “a crushing blow.”

In 2014, Brosnan starred in the film A Long Way Down, where his character dealt with depression and thoughts of suicide. He drew from his own experiences of grief for the character. Despite the deep pain he experienced, he credited his Catholic faith for seeing him through. “I would say faith, being Irish, being Catholic, it’s ingrained in my DNA,” he told New York Daily News. His life has also experienced great joy. In 2001, he married Keely Shaye Smith. The pair had met while Brosnan was on a trip in Mexico in 1994. “I had a great marriage which sadly had its own ending, and I was lucky enough to find love again. We were meant to find each other. I thank God for her every day. When Keely looks at me, I go weak. I love her vitality, her passion. She has this strength that I wouldn’t be able to live without,” Brosnan said of his new love. The pair have two children, Paris and Dylan. After 23 years of marriage, the couple still remain strong. “We like each other a lot. We love each other a lot. And we’ve been down the road, and we’ve seen many, many hardships as families do, as we all do,” Brosnan said in a previous interview. “But watching someone grow up with you and grow old with you is a very spiritual journey. To watch each other change … whatever it may be, the hair, the waist. But it’s the love in the heart.”