Celebrity Deaths
Susan Saint James Called Him Her ‘Best Friend’ Before a Tragedy Changed Everything
Susan Saint James, who died at 80, lost her son Teddy Ebersol in a 2004 plane crash. She cherished their close bond and faced the tragedy with grace.
More than 20 years before her death at 80, beloved actress Susan Saint James lost her youngest son in a tragic accident. The Kate & Allie star talked openly about the heartbreaking loss a few times over the years and embraced the fact that she and her youngest son were the best of friends.
As People shared, Saint James died on October 26 at the age of 80 after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Saint James leaves behind her husband, Dick Ebersol, and four children. In 2004, however, her youngest child, Edward Ebersol, nicknamed Teddy, died in a plane crash.
In November 2004, People reported that a corporate jet crashed in Colorado on a Sunday morning. The crash happened after takeoff, and the plane burst into flames, killing two crew members along with Teddy. Dick and his son Charlie were both also on the plane, and Charlie helped his father escape the wreckage.
Shortly after Teddy’s death, Saint James did an interview with NBC’s Tim Russert for Today. She explained she wanted to do the interview because she felt it was important to thank all of the fans who had been so supportive.
Russert noted he had read some things Teddy had written before his death, and one line stuck out to him. Teddy wrote, “The meaning of love can be described in just one word: family.”
In an autobiography that he had written for school, Teddy noted that he saw his mom as his best friend. She explained, “Yeah. I’m his best friend in the whole wide world for sure. Because we were the two left behind — because [the other kids] all went off to college now, and Dick is so busy. So we were like buddies.”
She also noted that Teddy was “one happy guy.”
While Dick survived the crash, he had a cracked sternum, which was painful. Saint James explained it was hard for him “to cough [and] to sob.” She also talked about Charlie pulling his father out of the burning wreckage.
Charlie didn’t want to be called a hero for saving his dad, Saint James noted. Instead, she shared, Charlie wished he could have saved Tedd, too. At the time, Charlie was 21 and a student at Notre Dame University, which is where the flight was headed after a family Thanksgiving together.
When Saint James was pregnant with Teddy, she chose to step back from acting. She recalled that Teddy would tell people, “I ruined my mom’s career because after I was born she retired.” She made it clear she didn’t regret that choice, though.
Saint James noted that she loved being a mom and she loved that she got to be with Teddy “all the time.”
Even in those early weeks after losing her son, Saint James was determined not to be mad or resentful. She explained, “I have a right, and my kids have the right to just be really sad. But we’re not mad-sad. I’m not mad … I just want to move forward.”
