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Sandra Bullock: Finding Love After Tragedy Following Death of Longtime Partner Bryan Randall
The video was beautiful – and heartbreaking. In serene footage captured along the snow-covered banks of the Snake River in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in late December 2023, the murmur of trickling water provided a peaceful soundtrack as wisps of steam rose into the air, the sun beginning to thaw the icy surface. It’s where Sandra Bullock released the ashes of late partner Bryan Randall on the day he should have turned 58 — nearly five months after he died following a secret three-year battle with ALS. “Happy birthday, Bry,” the actress’ sister, Gesine Bullock-Prado, captioned the clip on Instagram. “Sandy brought you to the river, just as she promised.”
Now she’s working to fulfill a second vow. “Sandra’s not done healing — it’s only been seven months — but she’s ready to move on,” a source exclusively tells In Touch, explaining that the Oscar winner promised the man she called “the love of my life” that she wouldn’t grief hold her back and “would be open to finding love and starting over again.”
Indeed, Sandra did it before, giving romance another chance when she met Bryan, despite suffering through a brutal 2010 divorce from cheating husband Jesse James, 54. Adds the source: “She knows Bryan wanted her to pick up the pieces and try to find a good guy.”
Small Steps
She’s struggled to wrap her head around reentering the dating scene — even more so because the star is on the cusp of turning 60 this summer. “Sandra wants to let go of the pain and allow herself to love again,” the source shares with In Touch. “But she had a hard time convincing herself she’ll ever find anyone else.”
Model-turned-photographer Bryan — whom Sandra unexpectedly fell for after hiring him to document her son’s 5th birthday party in 2015 — “was such a good man,” explains the source. “He had a huge heart and was a great father to her kids [Louis, 14, and Laila, 11], loving them like they were his own. She feels he was her soulmate.”
That won’t ever change, but someone else who knows her well — longtime pal Keanu Reeves, 59 — has some ideas about who Sandra should romance once she feels the time is right. “He has a buddy he thinks she would click with,” the source spills to In Touch. “Keanu’s trying to get her to go out with the guy, just as friends, hoping something could build from it. Bryan left some big shoes to fill, though.”
Opening Her Heart
Keanu’s support amid her sadness has meant everything to Sandra. “Keanu has been a lifesaver. He’s not only been a shoulder to cry on but has also been there to lift her spirits, make her laugh and see a brighter future ahead,” says the source. She can trust him — he knows deep loss, too: In 1999, his daughter with girlfriend Jennifer Syme was still-born. He and Jennifer split months later amid their shared grief. While they eventually reunited, in 2001, Jennifer died at 28 in a car accident. For Sandra, the source adds to In Touch, seeing Keanu so happy with his current girlfriend, artist Alexandra Grant, 50, “gives her hope for another relationship in her future.”
Yet as resilient as Sandra might be, she’s not rushing things. Two years ago, she revealed plans to take a lengthy work hiatus — at least five years, she said — so she could spend more time with Louis and Laila. “I just want to be 24/7 with my babies and my family,” she explained, promising she’d return to acting and producing “when I’m done being a mom.” The world now knows she also took the break to be with Bryan in his final days. “Bryan was a big reason she left Hollywood,” confirms the source, noting that the pair spent a lot of time at her vacation home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, over the years. “She has many great memories of living there” — from celebrating her 50th birthday at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar to dancing alongside pal Jennifer Aniston on NYE to shopping for groceries at Whole Foods and playthings at Teton Toys with Bryan — “and she’s making it a point to go back more these days. It was always a special place for Bryan, as well.”
The biggest way she can honor Bryan, however, is by moving on. “Sandra is ready for new adventures,” the source tells In Touch. “She’s willing to get back out there — and let friends like Keanu play Cupid!”
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