Wild Author Cheryl Strayed’s Husband Diagnosed With “Fatal” Illness

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Cheryl Strayed has some difficult news. 

Cheryl Strayed, the author of the memoir Wild—which Reese Witherspoon turned into a 2014 film—has announced that her husband of 25 years, Brian Lindstrom, is battling a severe and ultimately fatal illness. She described him as her “beloved” partner.

Following the recent news, Cheryl – who has two children with Brian – announced she’s cancelling several workshops and events she had planned.

I’m so sorry to anyone who was planning to attend,” the 57-year-old posted on Instagram on April 30th. “Right now, I need to be with my family as we heal from a difficult time. I would really appreciate your support and kind thoughts.”

The author of Tiny Beautiful Things also mentioned that she’ll still share older episodes of her podcast, Mind Over Mountain, but understands if they don’t quite fit how she’s feeling right now.

Cheryl explained that if her weekly podcast clips seem out of sync with how she’s currently feeling, that’s because they were recorded during happier times. She said she enjoyed doing those interviews, but they were from the past.

The author has frequently spoken about how much she valued her husband Brian’s unwavering support throughout her career.

She told The Great Discontent in 2012 that she couldn’t have done it without him. He was a constant source of support, especially while she was writing Torch, believing in her even when she doubted herself. He’s always been there for her, offering encouragement and unwavering faith.

I just think he’s incredible, both as a person and as a director. People are always asking if there’s any rivalry between us because we’re both creative, but honestly, it’s always baffled me. We genuinely support each other in everything we do.

Their close relationship began quickly after they met in 1995, not long after Cheryl finished the Pacific Crest Trail hike she wrote about in her book, Wild.

In a 2022 Instagram post, she reminisced about meeting her husband, Brian Lindstrom, 27 years prior – exactly half her life ago. The day after they met, she wrote in her journal that she felt Brian would become important to her, and she playfully added how right she turned out to be, and how fortunate she felt.

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2026-05-01 02:21