Living with this grief for so long has been incredibly challenging
Anderson Cooper pays tribute to his older brother, Carter Cooper, on the 35th anniversary of his tragic death. The Emmy-winning journalist, now 56, took to Instagram to remember Carter, who died by suicide at the age of 23 in 1988.
In his heartfelt post, Anderson shared three pictures of his late brother. One photo showed the two of them together, wearing matching shirts, while the other two were black-and-white shots of Carter alone. Alongside the images, Anderson expressed how he thinks of and misses his brother every single day.
The comments section of the post filled with support from Anderson’s colleagues, with CNN commentator Ana Navarro-Cárdenas acknowledging the ongoing pain of such a profound loss.
Carter’s death was a devastating event for the Cooper family. He tragically jumped off the terrace wall of his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt’s, 14th-floor Manhattan apartment. It was an unimaginable blow, especially coming a decade after the death of his father, Wyatt Emory Cooper.
In 2021, Anderson spoke to PEOPLE about the lasting impact of losing his brother. He revealed that the loss still weighed heavily on him, and he continually wonders about the life his brother might have had if he were still alive. The absence of his brother has altered the course of Anderson’s life, and he continues to grapple with unanswered questions about Carter’s death.
Living with this grief for so long has been incredibly challenging, but Anderson acknowledged the importance of finding a way to carry on despite not having all the answers. He learned to live with the uncertainty and the void left by his brother’s absence.
Back in 2016, Anderson and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, had spoken to PEOPLE about how they found solace in each other after Carter’s passing. Although their bond strengthened through the shared grief, holidays and special occasions never felt the same without Carter. They had always envisioned a future where they would grow closer as a family, but the tragic loss prevented that from happening.
Carter’s memory lives on in the hearts of those who loved him, and his brother Anderson continues to honor him through heartfelt tributes like this one on the anniversary of his passing.
