Mourning Robert Redford Made ‘Extra Challenging’ by AI

Amy Redford, daughter of the beloved Hollywood veteran Robert Redford, is discussing the toll AI has on their family amid their grieving process.

The 89-year-old actor passed away earlier this year in his home in Utah on September 16, 2025. Redford’s publicist announced that he died in his sleep, surrounded by loved ones.

Amy’s outcry follows a recent rise in calls for regulations in AI by loved ones of late Hollywood stars like Robin Williams, whose daughter also spoke up. 

In an Instagram post, the “Ordinary People” star’s daughter penned a message to fans and friends. 

She began by appreciating the love and support she and her family had received since Robert passed away. Amy noted that the tributes pouring in from all over made her realize the impact her father had had on the world. 

While she loved seeing the numerous messages that people had written to honor her father, there were some that she did not appreciate, and they involved artificial intelligence. In Amy’s words:

“There have been multiple AI versions of funerals, tributes, and quotes from members of my family that are fabrications. Renderings of my dad, who clearly has no say, and depictions of my family that do not represent anyone in a positive light, are extra challenging during a difficult time.”

Amy then stated that the family had not held a public funeral for her father yet, and she believed that every family should be allowed to mourn their loved ones however they deemed fit.

Still, she was not completely against the use of artificial intelligence, as she noted that some great things had been created using AI, but she believed it should be used transparently and with good intent. 

Amy concluded by asking people always to ask themselves this question whenever they wanted to create anything. “What if this were you?” she penned.

The “All the President’s Men” star passed peacefully in his home in Utah.  The Blast reported that Redford had always preferred life in Utah over Hollywood’s fast life. 

Despite his preference for nature and the calmness it brought, Redford was one of the biggest Hollywood stars during his lifetime, with movie credits like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Way We Were,” and “The Sting” to his name.

From romantic blockbusters to many other genres, Redford brought his character to life in every film. 

Still, he went on to become a director. The movie star won an Academy Award in 1980 for directing “Ordinary People” and directed many more films. 

Redford had four children, Scott, Shauna, James, and Amy, with his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen. Unfortunately, he had lost two sons before he passed. 

Following his passing, locals of Tiburon, California, where the movie director had lived previously, shared that Redford never recovered from the passing of his third eldest child, James Redford. 

As reported by The Blast, a waiter at Bayside restaurant in Tiburon recalled that despite the movie star’s vibrant personality, the loss of his son was never far from his mind and often weighed on him. 

The local explained that the loss of James felt like the movie star had lost a part of himself.  “It was hard for him to live without his boy. It took a toll on him to see his son die like that,” the waiter concluded. 

James died in October 2020 from bile duct cancer in his liver. Earlier in their marriage, Redford and his then-wife had lost their first son, Scott, in November 1959, just two and a half months after his birth, to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). 

True to his preference during his lifetime, Redford wanted a quiet funeral. 

According to The Blast, the “Barefoot In The Park” actor had made it clear that his final wish was to have his funeral away from the pomp and circus of Hollywood. 

“No red carpets. No cameras. No Hollywood circus. The family requests privacy,” a spokesperson for Redford shared.

Another source added that the guest list would be strictly family. “There won’t be a parade of A-listers” at the funeral because Redford disliked the noise.

Amy Redford is not alone in her war against fabrications made using artificial intelligence.  As reported by The Blast, Zelda Williams spoke up against the fake videos of her father decades after his passing. 

“Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad. Stop believing I wanna see it or that I’ll understand, I don’t and I won’t,” the movie director stated bluntly. 

She noted that it was definitely not what her father would have wanted and urged anyone doing such to stop.