Hollywood star Natalie Wood's daughter is opening up about her mother and how the star died, which she says was "skewed" by rumors, in a tell-all documentary about the iconic beauty.
Wood established her career with appearances in now-legendary films including "Miracle on 34th Street" and "West Side Story," but Natasha Gregson Wagner believes that her mother's death by drowning in 1981 has overshadowed her success.
"She was a joyful person and she had an amazing life," says Natasha, as reported by Closer Weekly. "The narrative has been skewed toward the tragic. That’s not the mom I knew."
Wood's death has been shrouded in mystery. There was speculation that her husband Robert Wagner was somehow involved, but Natasha refuses to believe it.
“It’s so preposterous I can’t even relate to it," she says. "I know that she drowned and I know it was an accident.”
Natasha was with Wagner and their friend Christopher Walken the night she fell off a boat and drowned.
Natasha recalls her mother and father "always laughing at each other's jokes" and says they were her "model for relationships, for love, intimacy and connection."
Theirs was a happy life, which Natasha is detailing in the HBO documentary "Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind" and a memoir, "More Than Love: An Intimate Portrait of My Mother, Natalie Wood."
"The smell is what I remember, the comfort of the smell," Natasha recalls. "I knew when she was home. [Her scent] would waft through the house."
She also remembers her mother having a "savvy business sense" which came from being her family's sole breadwinner at age 12. Natasha says her mother was "brave" and wanted her children to be just as strong. She also provided them with love and comfort to flourish.
"My mom was someone who made me feel safe in the world, and the love I felt for [my daughter] Clover reminded me of the love I knew from my mom."
Related Stories:
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.