Natasha Gregson Wagner was just 11 years old when an ordinary childhood sleepover turned into a moment that shattered her world.
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that → turn → world
While staying at a friend's house, she heard the devastating news on the radio: her mother, Hollywood actress Natalie Wood, was dead.
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mother → stay → radio
"As a child, I always knew my mom was home because her Jungle Gardenia scent arrived before she did," Gregson Wagner, now 56, wrote on the website for her fragrance brand, L'Amour Mere.
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Wagner → know → brand
"After she died, I spent hours lying in her bed or sitting in her closet among her clothes.
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I → die → clothes
If I could somehow keep her fragrance alive, perhaps she would not be entirely gone.
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she → keep → fragrance
In the immediate aftermath of Wood's death, Gregson Wagner said the two father figures in her life — her biological father, British film producer Richard Gregson, and her stepfather, actor Robert Wagner — came together to support her.
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figures → say → her
"Luckily, I had these two men, Daddy Gregson and Daddy Wagner, who came together and rose to the occasion and completely put me first," Gregson Wagner told the Daily Mail.
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Wagner → have → Mail
"They got me into therapy right away, and I had that same amazing therapist here in Beverly Hills until my 20s."
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I → get → 20s
Wood, who was nominated for three Oscars and starred in "West Side Story" and "Rebel Without a Cause," was on the family's yacht with Wagner, actor Christopher Walken and captain Dennis Davern during Thanksgiving weekend in 1981.
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who → nominate → 1981
Her body was found floating in the water off Southern California's Catalina Island.
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body → find → Island
WATCH: ROBERT WAGNER'S MOST MEMORABLE ROLES, FROM ‘HART TO HART’ TO ‘AUSTIN POWERS’
Investigators initially ruled Wood's death an accidental drowning but reopened the case in 2011 to determine whether Wagner or anyone else played a role after the yacht's captain said he heard the couple arguing the night of her disappearance, The Associated Press reported.
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Press → watch → disappearance
The Los Angeles County coroner's office amended Wood's death certificate in 2012, changing the cause of death to "drowning and other undetermined factors."
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office → amend → drowning
In 2018, Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators described Wagner as "a person of interest" in Wood's death.
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investigators → describe → death
In 2022, the department said it had exhausted all leads in the case, and Wagner was no longer considered a person of interest.
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Wagner → say → interest
Wagner has long denied having any involvement in his wife's death.
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Wagner → deny → death
Gregson Wagner said that while she was growing up, her two fathers were determined to give her a normal upbringing away from the glaring media spotlight.
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fathers → say → spotlight
"I had to do my laundry," she told the outlet.
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she → have → outlet
"We had dinner on the table at six o'clock.
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We → have → o'clock
I learned how to cook in their kitchen.
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I → learn → kitchen
I learned how to do laundry.
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I → learn → laundry
I learned how to take a bath with a hot tap and a cold tap, putting it in a pot and pouring it on my head and all these things."
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I → learn → head
Gregson Wagner also told the outlet she avoided the drugs and alcohol that have troubled some children of famous parents.
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that → tell → parents
"I've definitely felt pressure in my life," Gregson Wagner said.
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Wagner → feel → life
"I know what's right, I know what's wrong.
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what → know → ?
I'm not saying I haven't had very, very painful things in my life. ...
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I → say → life
So, I got lucky in that way."
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I → get → way
Still, Gregson Wagner said she continues to feel the impact of losing her mother.
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she → say → mother
"When I was younger, I would get stopped on the street by people who would say things like: 'You look so much like this actress, you've probably never heard of her, but her name was Natalie Wood,'" Gregson Wagner recalled.
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Wagner → stop → her
"Most of the time I wouldn't admit I was her daughter, and just say: 'Oh, I hear that a lot!'"
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I → admit → that
"We looked so much alike and had so much in common.
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We → look → much
Where did the mother end and the child begin?
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child → end → ?
We were so completely connected — and she was so sharp and perceptive — that I sometimes believed she could see right into my mind."
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she → believe → mind
Gregson Wagner has been married to "7th Heaven" alum Barry Watson, 52, since 2014.
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Wagner → marry → 2014
They share a daughter, Clover.
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They → share → daughter
Gregson Wagner also launched the fragrance brand L'Amour Mere, which she says was inspired by her mother and their connection through scent.
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she → launch → scent
Gregson Wagner has previously spoken about her mother's legacy.
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Wagner → speak → legacy
In 2020, Gregson Wagner appeared in the HBO documentary "Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind," which featured interviews with Wood's family, close friends and confidants.
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which → appear → family
Wagner, now 96, also appeared in the documentary and discussed his relationship with Wood and her death.
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Wagner → appear → Wood
The couple married in 1957 but divorced in 1962.
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couple → marry → 1962
They remarried in 1972 and were together until Wood's passing.
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They → remarry → passing
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
