Actor and playwriter Mark Rylance announced over the weekend that his wife, director and composer Claire van Kampen, passed away amid her battle with cancer on his 65th birthday. She was 71 years old.
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In a statement to People, Rylance and van Kampen’s daughter, Juliet Rylance, confirmed the news. She notably passed away on Rylance’s 65th birthday.
“Claire Louise van Kampen, Lady Rylance, has died this morning, Saturday the 18th of January at 11:47, in the ancient town of Kassel, Germany, surrounded by her family,” the statement reads. “Claire has died of cancer on Mark Rylance’s 65th Birthday. Her youngest daughter having died in 2012, she leaves her eldest daughter, Juliet Rylance, her two husbands, and countless beloved friends in England and America.”
Mark Rylance’s late wife was also described as “one of the funniest and inspiring women” that the family knew.
“We thank her for imbuing our lives with her magic, music, laughter, and love,” the family then added.
The family also spoke to BBC about the late composer’s death.
“Ring the bell, sound the trumpets reverie, something is done, something is beginning,” the family further shared. “One of the great wise ones has passed.”
Rylance and van Kampen had been married for 35 years. The couple married the same year van Kampen composed the music for Rylance’s 1989 performance as Hamlet.
Although they didn’t have children together, Rylance was the stepfather to van Kampen’s two daughters, actress Juliet Rylance and filmmaker Natassha van Kampen.
Nataasha reportedly passed away in July 2012 at the age of 28 after suffering a brain hemorrhage. Rylance withdrew from participating in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Mark Ryland Previously Stated His Wife ‘Completely Changed’ His Life
During a 2023 interview with The Guardian, Mark Ryland opened up about how his wife, Claire van Kampen, changed his life.
“She introduced me to that world of classical and modern music,” he explained. “And it was very much around music that we fell in love. We’ve always loved working together. … From the beginning, we were always imagining stories that we could tell together.”
He further spoke about how they made their projects their “children” throughout the years.
“Claire came to me with two children whom I raised with her and [her first husband], but we never had children of our own,” he said. “So, to some degree, our projects have been our children. They are an incredible, creative joy to us, and Claire is the rock of my life.”