Get the latest gossip

Mark Rylance Mourns Wife Claire Van Kampen After She Dies at Age 71 on His Birthday: ‘Her Magic, Music, Laughter’

Claire van Kampen, theater director and the wife of Mark Rylance, was 71 when she died on his birthday on Saturday, Jan. 18, Rylance confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE.

Claire van Kampen, theatre director and the wife of actor Mark Rylance, has died after being diagnosed with cancer. Embarking on a theatre career, Claire joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1986, where she became the first female musical director, according to the outlet. The pair married in 1989 and Rylance became stepfather to Claire’s two daughters shared with her late ex-husband, Christopher van Kampen.

Get the Android app