Louise Newbury: Bill Paxton And Wife Had 30 Year Marriage, A Hollywood Rarity

Louise Newbury and Bill Paxton had something increasingly rare in Hollywood — a happy and healthy marriage that lasted 30 years.

The beloved actor died suddenly on Sunday at age 61, passing away after complications from heart surgery. He left behind Louise, his wife for 30 years, along with two children — 23-year-old James and 19-year-old Lydia.

After Paxton’s death, many have turned their attention to Louise Newbury and the love that the two shared. Paxton and Newbury married in 1987, seven years after the actor divorced from his first wife, actress Kelly Rowan.

Paxton spoke about his wife often. Just days before his death, Bill Paxton told late night show host James Corden how he first met Louise Newbury in London, a chance meeting on a bus.

“I met my wife on the number 37 bus on the Twickenham High Street, in London,” Paxton said (via Metro). “I saw a gal in a bus queue… She looks my way as she gets on the bus, and that was all the incentive I needed.”

Newbury was just 17 years old when the first met, but the two struck up an unlikely romance, one that spanned the Atlantic Ocean for the first seven years as she lived in London and Paxton lived and worked in the United States.

While Louise Newbury stayed mostly out of the spotlight during her 30-year marriage to Bill Paxton, she showed up frequently on the red carpet.

Bill Paxton himself was known as one of the quieter stars in Hollywood. Though she showed his ability to serve as a leading man, he rarely made headlines for his off-the-camera life and instead took on a reputation as a dedicated father and husband.

In announcing Paxton’s death on Sunday, the actor’s family noted his dedication to his wife and children.

“A loving husband and father, Bill began his career in Hollywood working on films in the art department and went on to have an illustrious career spanning four decades as a beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker,” the family’s statement read (via Romper).

Paxton passed on his love of acting to his son, James, who has a lead role on the USA Network thriller Eyewitness.

And even at age 61, Bill Paxton was still very involved in projects. The actor’s death came just as he was set to start on a new CBS series, Romper added.

“The thriller series Training Day, in which he stars, premiered on CBS just this month. Paxton also also recently won an Emmy for his acting work on the 2012 miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.”

So far, Louise Newbury has not issued her own statement on the death of Bill Paxton, but many others from across the world of entertainment have shared their memories of the beloved actor.

“Bill Paxton could play any role, but he was best at being Bill — a great human being with a huge heart,” wrote Arnold Schwarzenegger, who acted with Paxton in the movie True Lies.

“Bill Paxton was, simply, a wonderful man. A wonderful man,” Tom Hanks, who worked with Paxton in Apollo 13, wrote on Twitter.

Others reached out directly to Louise Newbury, offering their condolences on Bill Paxton’s shocking death.

[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]