The longtime Hollywood staple, who presided over The Bryna Company and the Douglas Foundation until her death, died peacefully at her home in Beverly Hills, Calif., representatives for the Douglas family told Fox News on Thursday.
Buydens first met the movie star love of her life in 1953 when Douglas offered her a job as his publicist while he was in Paris to film Act of Love. Although she initially rebuffed a dinner date from the late star, Buydens instead opted for scrambled eggs at home a few hours later.
In 2017, the couple published a book about their decades-long romance titled Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood.
Anne Douglas, Producer and Widow of Kirk Douglas, Dies at 102
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Anne Douglas, the wife of Kirk Douglas and producer known for her philanthropy work, has died. She was 102.
The Douglas family announced she peacefully died at her home in Beverly Hills on Thursday afternoon. Her death comes about one year after the death of her husband, who died in February 2020. The couple were married for 66 years.
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“Anne was more than a stepmother, and never ‘wicked,’” actor and stepson Michael Douglas said in a statement. “She brought out the best in all of us, especially our father. Dad would never have had the career he did without Anne’s support and partnership. Catherine and I and the children adored her; she will always be in our hearts.”
Kirk and Anne Douglas Read the Love Letters of Hollywood s Greatest Romance
On 4/30/21 at 5:28 AM EDT
Anne Douglas, the wife of the late Kirk Douglas, has died at the age of 102, a year after her husband passed away last February at 103.
Married for 66 years, the couple s love story was highly celebrated and immortalized in their enduring love letters. Anne was more than a stepmother, and never wicked, actor and stepson Michael Douglas said in a statement following Anne Douglas death on Thursday. She brought out the best in all of us, especially our father. Dad would never have had the career he did without Anne s support and partnership. Catherine and I and the children adored her; she will always be in our hearts. (per
By Jennifer Drysdale Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images
Rest in peace, Anne Douglas. The widow of Kirk Douglas and stepmother of Michael Douglas has died at 102, ET confirms.
Anne died peacefully at home in Beverly Hills on Thursday. Her death comes just over a year after Kirk died in February 2020. He was 103.
“My father could never keep a secret. Anne was just the opposite, Michael said in a statement. That’s why I was so moved when I read their co-authored book,
Kirk and Anne, in which she talked about her early life in Germany; her war years in occupied Paris; and her career before she met my father. She also included their private correspondence, which gave me new insights into their courtship and marriage.