Ben Affleck Reflects on Mortality After Parents' Deaths

Ben Affleck is reflecting on life's fleeting nature following the deaths of his parents, Chris and Timothy Affleck, within months of each other earlier this year. He described the period as a "big year of life" that forced him to reconsider his priorities and the time he has left.

Affleck lost his father, Timothy, in April at age 76. His mother, Chris, died in June at age 83 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The news of Timothy's passing was kept private until September, when Ben's brother, Casey Affleck, announced it during the 2026 Venice International Film Festival.

"It’s a big year of life," Affleck told GQ in an interview published Tuesday. "You appreciate your parents in different ways, and you think about your own mortality and your own life and your own children and what you want to do with it."

He added that the "bare fact of the very fleeting nature of all of our lives kind of stares you back in the face." Affleck admitted that his "youthful illusions" of having more answers as he aged have faded, realizing that "stuff you haven't fixed in life stays unfixed."

While Affleck did not detail specific plans for how he intends to spend his remaining time, his priority remains his three children: Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Sam, 14, whom he shares with ex-wife Jennifer Garner. Affleck also spoke tenderly of his mother, calling her "pretty extraordinary and brave."

He described his parents as "lucky" to have lived "long lives ... longer than one’s expectation." His mother, Chris, reportedly told him at one point, "I had a great life and I have no regrets, but I thought 83 years would feel like longer."

Affleck, who also has a brother, Casey, stated that his parents, who married in the early 1970s and separated in 1984, were very important to him. He had dedicated his movie "Company" to them, noting he had lost both his mother and father in the same year.