Octavia Spencer remembered Sandra Bullock’s late partner Bryan Randall as “a talented, handsome, all-around good guy” in a memorial she posted Tuesday, after Randall died Saturday at the age of 57 after a secret three-year battle with ALS .
“My heart is broken for Sandy and Bryan,” the Oscar-winning actress, 53, said in an Instagram post with a picture of Randall and Bullock, 59, on Tuesday night.
The Montgomery, Alabama, native reflected on the sadness of the situation for everyone involved.
“Sandy has lost her soulmate and the world has lost a talented, handsome and all round good guy!” said the Help actress. “My prayers and condolences go out to their families.” RIP Bryan Randall.’
The ‘Hidden Figures’ star concluded her post by saying, “There’s a tiny little lady up there in heaven who looks a lot like me, bossing the angels around.” Especially Gabriel. She will make him play any song you want to hear. Give her a kiss from me.’
Details: Octavia Spencer, 53, remembered Sandra Bullock’s late partner Bryan Randall as “a talented, handsome, all-round good guy” in a memorial Tuesday after he died on Saturday at the age of 57 after a secret three-year battle with ALS was. Pictured earlier this year
The Oscar-winning actress paid tribute to Randall in an Instagram post Tuesday night with a picture of Randall and Bullock, 59
Spencer’s friendship with Bullock spans almost three decades as they have been close since they worked together on 1996’s A Time To Kill. In the film, Sandra Bullock played the role of Ellen Roark while Spencer played her nurse.
Celebrating her fellow Oscar winner’s birthday last month, Spencer said in a social media post, “You meet some people whose impact goes far beyond their work: their aura, their kindness, their joy.” Sandra Bullock is one of those people.’
Randall’s family issued a statement to People Monday, confirming his death: “It is with great sadness that we announce that Bryan Randall passed away peacefully on August 5 after a three-year battle with ALS.”
“Bryan chose early on to keep his journey with ALS private, and those of us who cared for him did our best to accommodate his request.”
The statement continued, “We are immensely grateful to the tireless doctors who navigated the landscape of this disease with us and the amazing nurses who became our roommates, often sacrificing their own families to be with us.”
“At this time we are asking for privacy to mourn and deal with the impossibility of saying goodbye to Bryan.”
The Blind Side star and Bryan first crossed paths in 2015 when he was on hand to take photos for her son’s birthday party. They were last seen publicly in July 2020 in Studio City, California while out and about with her two children.
Celebrating her fellow Oscar winner’s birthday last month, Spencer praised Bullock for his personality, kindness and joy
Spencer’s friendship with Bullock spans almost three decades as they have been close since they worked together on 1996’s A Time To Kill
Bullock, 59, and Randall, 57, were photographed ahead of his ALS diagnosis in New York in 2018
The Help actress said: “My prayers and condolences go out to their families.” RIP Bryan Randall’
The Blind Side star and Bryan first crossed paths in 2015 when he was on hand to take photos for her son’s birthday party
Bullock had called Randall “very patient,” “a saint,” and “evolving on a level that isn’t human” in the midst of his health battle in a 2021 interview.
The Bird Box actress spoke about Randall on a 2021 edition of Red Table Talk with Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris.
“He’s the role model I want for my kids,” the Oscar winner said of Randall, who died after battling the disease privately for three years.
In the exchange, Bullock also said that given their committed relationship, she feels no need to exchange vows with Randall.
“I’m someone who’s been through the divorce process,” Bullock said. “I have found the love of my life. We have two beautiful children – three children, his older daughter. It’s the best ever.
“So I don’t want to say, ‘Do it the way I do it, but I don’t need a job to be a devoted partner or a devoted mother.’
Bullock, who was previously married to Jesse James from 2005 to 2010, said she “doesn’t need to be told to always be there in the toughest of times” or “to weather a storm with a good man.”
The “Speed” actress opened up about the relationship dynamic she shared with Randall, a former model, and the example he set for their two children – son Louis, 13, and daughter Laila, 10. Randall was also father to daughter Skylar Staten, 29, from a previous relationship.
Bullock called her partner Bryan Randall “very patient,” “a saint,” and “evolving on a level that isn’t human” in a 2021 interview amid his secretive ALS battle that led to his tragic death Saturday in May age of 57 years
The Bird Box actress spoke about Randall, a photographer, in a 2021 edition of Red Table Talk with Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris
“There are two very different ways of looking at things,” Bullock said. “And I don’t always agree with him.” He doesn’t always agree with me.
“But he’s a role model, even if I don’t agree: ‘If they can take something from that and if that’s where they’re drawn to, then he’s the right parent.”
On the Red Table Talk outing, she said that Randall was a positive presence for her as a parent, even though he wasn’t involved in the adoption process.
“I had Louis first,” she said. “And then when I met Randall, I thought we hadn’t been together that long.”
She continued, “I’m wondering, ‘Remember that non-disclosure agreement you signed when you photographed my son?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ He’s still scared. His whole life had been thrown off balance because of me.
“And I said, ‘You know, that still applies.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, OK, OK, OK, why?’ And I was like, ‘Because I’m bringing a kid home when I come back from Toronto .” And he said, “I’m sorry, huh?”
Bullock said that her partner was at the same time “so happy but… scared” about the development.
Bullock and James met in 2003 and married two years later on a ranch in the San Ynez Valley. The relationship fell apart after James’ multiple marital infidelities became public and they split in 2010.
Bullock has previously had romances with the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): Details on a deadly disease with no cure
What is it?
According to the Mayo Clinic, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain. It progressively gets worse and causes a significant loss of muscle control in sufferers.
Treatment
There is no cure for ALS and the disease is fatal, but progresses at different rates among patients.
symptoms
The first signs of ALS are muscle twitching, weakness in the limbs, and problems swallowing and speaking. It progressively worsens muscle control and affects a person’s ability to breathe, move, speak, and eat.
Symptoms of ALS correspond to the deterioration of nerve cells in everyone and can lead to problems walking, stumbling, and weakness in the knees, ankles, and hands.
It can also lead to problems with muscle spasms and twitching in areas like the tongue, arms, and shoulders. According to the clinic, people with ALS have experienced untimely outbursts of laughter, tears and yawns, as well as changes in thought processes or behavior.
risk factors
Among the risk factors that researchers have found for ALS is genetics, as about 10 percent of people diagnosed with ALS have passed down a gene from a relative, in what the clinic calls hereditary ALS. Children of people with hereditary ALS have a 50 percent chance of carrying the gene.
Age also plays a role, as the risk of developing the disease tends to increase at age 75, with the most common disease group being between 60 and 85 years of age. As for gender, men are diagnosed with a higher rate of ALS earlier, by age 65, the clinic says.
Other factors associated with ALS are smoking and exposure to toxic substances. The clinic reported that military personnel were more likely to be diagnosed with ALS.
causes
According to the Mayo Clinic, there is no known cause of ALS, and in a small number of cases, heredity plays a role.
Lou Gehrig was one of baseball’s pre-eminent stars while playing for the Yankees between 1923 and 1939. Known as “The Iron Horse,” he played 2,130 straight games before ALS forced him to retire. The record was broken by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995
Lou Gehrig’s disease
In addition to being known as ALS, it is also commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Lou Gehrig was a stalwart first baseman for the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1939. Famed for his strength and endurance, he earned the nickname “The Iron Horse” with a record streak of 2,130 consecutive games.
In a July 4, 1939 Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day speech at Yankee Stadium, the baller famously said, ‘For the last two weeks you’ve read about a bad fracture.’ Nevertheless, today I consider myself the happiest man alive.’
His popularity and fame extended beyond baseball. He died two years after his diagnosis on June 2, 1941.