Ben Affleck breaks silence on back-to-back deaths of his parents

Ben Affleck has opened up about the impact of losing his mother, Chris Affleck, who died on June 2 just six months after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, according to her obituary.

The actor said her death, coupled with the earlier loss of his father, has changed how he looks back on his upbringing.

It marks the first time the Oscar winner has spoken publicly about losing both of his parents this year.

His dad, Timothy Affleck, died in April, with his mom following in June.

Speaking on the Sept. 30 episode of the Streets We Grew Up On podcast, Ben said the experience has shifted his perspective.

“It’s sort of a big thing, and it’s caused me to start thinking about my own childhood in ways that has been a little bit different,” he said.

Ben Affleck said the death of his mum changed how he views his upbringing. (MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)

He was especially reflective about his mom.

“I’ve certainly learned to even more deeply appreciate my mom and really value and see what she did and what the sacrifice and commitment that she made and how complete it was,” he added.

Chris’s illness was pancreatic cancer, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and she died on June 2, roughly six months after that December diagnosis. Timothy’s death in April became public later, when Ben’s brother, Casey Affleck, revealed earlier this month that their dad had also died in 2026.

Casey spoke about both parents on Sept. 8 during a panel at the Venice Film Festival, per People. “They were very important to me,” he said. “I really wanted to show this movie to them and I didn’t get to. I think they would have liked it.”

Ben and Casey Affleck grew up with their mom in Massachusetts after their parents divorced, while their dad, Timothy, relocated to California. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)

What was Ben Affleck’s relationship with his dad like?

After Chris and Timothy divorced when Ben and Casey were young, the brothers grew up with their mom in Massachusetts, while their dad relocated to California. Ben’s relationship with Timothy was rocky throughout his youth.

Even so, the Gone Girl actor has come to recognize the ‘principal lesson and legacy’ of his father’s life as the way he ‘dramatically improved it’ through his sobriety journey.

Ben first spoke about the idea of imperfect parents in a February 2020 interview with People.

“Part of being an adult is learning that your parents are just people,” he said. “They’re not perfect. They were just doing their best.”

He explained that although he realized ‘we expect perfection out of our parents’ when we’re kids, he grew to understand his own better.

“I learned to be able to look at things that I wish were different about my childhood and say they did their best,” he continued. “They were dealing with their own stuff and their own childhood trauma.

"The goal is to try and break some of these painful cycles.”