Actor Chad Lowe announces death of daughter Fiona, 13

Chad Lowe and Kim Painter's 13-year-old daughter Fiona has died, devastating the family and leaving two surviving daughters.
She was the light of our lives
Chad Lowe and Kim Painter described their 13-year-old daughter Fiona in their announcement of her death.
Mark

Why did the family include the suicide crisis line in their statement?

Mimi

It's a signal. They're not saying explicitly what happened, but they're pointing toward mental health as the concern. It's a way of acknowledging the issue without having to detail it.

Luke

But we should be careful here—they didn't confirm that was the cause. They asked people to reach out if struggling, which could mean many things. We're reading between the lines.

Mark

So we don't actually know how she died?

Mimi

Not from this statement. The family chose not to disclose the cause, and that's their right.

Luke

Exactly. We can report what they said and what they included, but we can't conclude anything beyond that.

Mark

What about the sisters—how are they doing?

Mimi

The statement doesn't say. We only know they adored Fiona and that her death is devastating for the whole family.

Luke

And we have no information about whether the family is receiving support, whether they've made any other statements, or what comes next for them.

Mark

So this is really just the announcement itself.

Mimi

Yes. It's a family saying their daughter has died and asking to be left alone to grieve.

Luke

Which is all we have, and it's enough to report. But it's also important to acknowledge what we don't know.

  • A thirteen-year-old girl is gone, and the family she leaves behind — two sisters, two parents — is navigating a loss that reshapes everything it touches.
  • The inclusion of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the family's public statement quietly signals that mental health may have been at the center of this tragedy.
  • Fiona's parents chose to remember her in specific, loving terms — smart, creative, a dancer — resisting the abstraction that public grief can impose on a private person.
  • The family has asked for prayers and privacy, drawing a careful boundary between Chad Lowe's public life and the intensely personal grief now unfolding within it.
  • By naming the crisis lifeline, the family transforms their announcement into something larger — an implicit call for others who are struggling to reach out before it is too late.

In the quiet language of grief, actor Chad Lowe and his wife Kim Painter have announced the death of their thirteen-year-old daughter Fiona — a girl remembered not for her father's fame, but for her own light: her intelligence, her creativity, her love of dance. The family's statement, which included a reference to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, gestures toward the particular darkness that may have claimed her, though no cause was named. What remains is the oldest and most human of losses — parents outliving a child — and a request, offered with dignity, to be allowed to grieve in private.

Chad Lowe and his wife Kim Painter announced Wednesday that their daughter Fiona, thirteen years old, has died. In a statement shared with entertainment outlets, they described themselves as "deeply heartbroken" and remembered Fiona as smart, creative, and a lover of dance — "the light of our lives."

Fiona is survived by her sisters Mabel, seventeen, and Nixie, ten, who adored her. The family described her loss as devastating for all who knew her. Lowe, an Emmy Award winner best known for Life Goes On and later appearances in Pretty Little Liars and Supergirl, is also recognized as the brother of actor Rob Lowe. His wife Kim Painter works as a producer.

The family's statement closed with a direct reference to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, encouraging anyone struggling with mental health to call or text 988. Though no cause of death was stated, the inclusion of this resource suggests mental health concerns may have played a role in Fiona's death.

The announcement was brief and carefully worded — a public acknowledgment shaped by the reality of Lowe's career, paired with a clear request for privacy. What it leaves behind is not a public figure's story, but the portrait of a specific girl, remembered by the people who knew her best.

Chad Lowe and his wife Kim Painter announced on Wednesday that their 13-year-old daughter Fiona has died. In a statement shared with entertainment outlets, the couple described themselves as "deeply heartbroken" and spoke of their daughter in terms of uncomplicated love—a girl who was smart, creative, and loved to dance. "She was the light of our lives," they said.

Fiona was adored by her two older and younger sisters, Mabel, 17, and Nixie, 10. The family emphasized that she was not only loved by her siblings but cherished by her parents in a way that shaped the entire household. Her loss, they said, is devastating for everyone who knew her.

Lowe is an Emmy Award winner, recognized in 1993 for his role in the television series Life Goes On. He has since appeared in shows including Pretty Little Liars and Supergirl. He is the brother of actor Rob Lowe. Painter works as a producer. Together they have built a life that included three daughters, and now they are navigating the unthinkable loss of their middle child.

In their statement, the family asked for prayers and privacy as they grieve. They also included a direct reference to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, encouraging anyone struggling with mental health to reach out by calling or texting 988. The inclusion of this resource in their announcement suggests that mental health concerns may have played a role in Fiona's death, though the family did not explicitly state the cause.

The statement was brief and formal, as such announcements often are—a way of controlling the narrative around an intensely private tragedy while acknowledging the public nature of Lowe's career. What emerges is a portrait of a young person remembered for specific qualities: her intelligence, her creativity, her love of dance. Not an abstraction, but a girl her family knew and loved. The family's request for privacy suggests they intend to grieve away from the spotlight, though the nature of Lowe's profession means the loss will inevitably be part of the public record.

She was a loving young girl who was smart, creative and loved to dance. She was adored by her sisters and she was deeply loved by her parents. In fact, she was the light of our lives.
— Chad Lowe and Kim Painter, in a statement to Page Six and People
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