Max Heard: John Heard’s Son Died In December, Obituary Slammed ‘Home Alone’ Actor For Abandoning Him

Actor John Heard died suddenly this weekend, but as the passing of the Home Alone actor brings condolences from across Hollywood, it has also opened up a family drama involving the actor’s son Max Heard, who died late last year.

John Heard was found dead in a hotel room on Friday shortly after undergoing minor back surgery. Radar Online reported that the maid service at the Palo Alto, California, hotel entered the room to find the actor unresponsive. The cause of death has not yet been announced, and a coroner is reportedly investigating his death.

The actor’s sudden death comes shortly after another tragedy in the family. Close to eight months before John Heard died, his 22-year-old son was also found dead.

An obituary for Max Heard made reference to his mother, Sharon, and sister, Annika, but did not mention John Heard by name. Instead, the death notice published on Legacy.com stated that Max felt lost in life without the guidance of a father.

“Many friends, including Annika, feel lost, as he directed them in their lives. Max was in deep grief of not having a father participating in his life. We did everything to help him, but the agony was with him,” the obituary noted. “He knew how loved he was by his mother, and sister, and his new girlfriend Maggie. We adore him, and will continue to adore him. For all of eternity.”

The death of John Heard has drawn attention to some of the actor’s difficult relationships with loved ones. Heard was married three times, including a union to Margot Kidder in 1979 that lasted just six days. John and Sharon Heard were married from 1988 to 1996 and had three children. John was married for a third time in 2010, but divorced from wife Lana Pritchard in less than a year.

John Heard, best known for playing the dad in the "Home Alone" movies, has died, medical examiner's office says https://t.co/4FQfWBur7g pic.twitter.com/WNGh3kkmvQ

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) July 22, 2017

Ironically, it was Max Heard’s mother, Sharon Heard, who officially confirmed to the media this weekend that John Heard had died. Despite the apparent animosity for John’s failure to play a part in his son’s life, Sharon Heard seemed to have some praise for the actor in speaking with the New York Times for John’s obituary.

John Heard, best known for playing the dad in the "Home Alone" movies, has died, medical examiner's office says https://t.co/T4PILEzBco pic.twitter.com/Ve70T6flEo

— CNN (@CNN) July 22, 2017

Sharon Heard told the outlet that John was very selective about the roles he took as he rose to fame in the late 1980s to mid-1990s.

“He’d never compromise,” she said. “He’d get scripts every day, but he didn’t care about money. He didn’t care about the Hollywood scene at all.”

The cause of death for Max Heard was not announced, though reports noted that he died in his sleep. John Heard’s cause of death also remains under investigation.

[Featured Image by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]