Quote from Oladosun Joshua Segun on May 17, 2026, 8:43 PM

Cheryl Strayed is up against the unthinkable. According to the Mayo Clinic, the Wild author said that her husband Brian Lindstrom passed away on May 15 after a secret medical fight with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a rare brain condition caused by damage to cells that regulate body movement.

“Brian Lindstrom died this morning the way he lived—with gentleness and courage, grace and gratitude for his beautiful life,” on May 15, Cheryl posted on Instagram. “Our children, Carver and Bobbi, and I held him as he took his last breath and we will hold him forever in our hearts.”

“The only thing more immense than our sorrow that Progressive Supranuclear Palsy took our beloved Brian from us,” she went on to say, “is the endless love we have for him.”

“We do not know how we will live without him,” she added. “We’re utterly bereft. We can only walk this dark path and search for the beauty Brian knew was there. It will be his eternal light that guides us.”

The author revealed that her "beloved" husband of 25 years, Brian Lindstrom, has been diagnosed with an undisclosed "serious, fatal illness." Her memoir Wild was transformed into Reese Witherspoon's 2014 film of the same name.

Cheryl, who has two children with Brian, said she would be canceling a number of forthcoming workshops and events in light of the revelation.

“My apologies to those of you who made plans to be there,” on April 30, the 57-year-old sent a message on Instagram. “I simply cannot do anything but be with my family right now and see to our broken hearts. I ask that you hold us in your thoughts, prayers, light, and love.”

The author of Tiny Beautiful Things added that although she will still promote previously recorded episodes of her podcast Mind Over Mountain, she is understanding if the clips are too happy for her present state of mind.

“If it seems emotionally dissonant to see me posting cheerful clips from my podcast each week, now and over the coming several weeks, it is for me too," Cheryl shared. “Those interviews, which I loved doing, were recorded previously, in easier, happier times.”

The author has frequently stated how crucial it was for her to have a husband like Brian by her side throughout her career.

“There’s no doing it without him,” in 2012, she informed The Great Discontent. “When I was writing Torch, he believed in me more than I believed in myself. He’s always, always, always been there for me, every time I needed him. He encourages me. He believes in me.”

“He’s an amazing person and an amazing filmmaker,” Cheryl continued. “Many people ask us if we’re jealous of each other or competitive because we’re both artists. We’re always mystified by that because we support each other in every way.”

And the couple's romantic relationship began nearly immediately after they first met in 1995—shortly after Cheryl's Pacific Crest Trail walk, which she described in Wild.

“Met this beautiful man 27 years ago today—literally half my lifetime ago,” in 2022, she shared on Instagram. “The next day I wrote in my journal: ‘I met a man named Brian Lindstrom last night. I don’t know who he is, but I think he’ll be someone to me.’ Little did I know how right I’d be. And how lucky.”