How did Thaddeus Wilk Farrow die? Here's the truth about Mia Farrow's paraplegic son whom she adopted from India

'He was a wonderful courageous person who overcame so much hardship in his short life'
PUBLISHED APR 2, 2021
Mia Farrow has posted about the death of her son Thaddeus Wilk Farrow (Getty Images)
Mia Farrow has posted about the death of her son Thaddeus Wilk Farrow (Getty Images)

Mia Farrow took to Twitter on Wednesday, March 31 to address "vicious rumors" about the deaths of three of her 14 children. While she explained about the deaths of her three children, the Internet wants to know more about them. The most controversial death among the three children was that of his 29-year-old son whom she adopted from Kolkata, India.

On September 23, 2016, Mia announced that her paraplegic son, Thaddeus Wilk Farrow was no more. "We're devastated by the loss of Thaddeus, our beloved son and brother," she wrote on Twitter. "He was a wonderful courageous person who overcame so much hardship in his short life. We miss him." She included a link to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in her post.

RELATED ARTICLES

How did Mia Farrow's children die? Truth behind the tragic deaths of Tam Farrow, Lark Previn and Thaddeus Wilk

Who was Tam Farrow? Woody Allen backer claims Mia Farrow erased daughter from family pic with Hillary Clinton



 

Thaddeus was found inside his vehicle with a gunshot wound in Connecticut and was “suffering from a life-threatening injury,” according to a police report. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The medical examiner’s office confirmed that he committed suicide. Reports suggest that Thaddeus lived in Torrington, about 24 miles from where he was found. Public records show he lived at his mother’s property until a few years ago.

Thaddeus, who contracted polio in an orphanage in India and was paralyzed from the waist down, was adopted by the actress in 1994, years after Farrow separated from her partner Woody Allen.

In 2013, according to a Vanity Fair article, Thaddeus was studying to become a police officer and gave insight into what it was like to be adopted by a Hollywood star. “It was scary to be brought to a world of people whose language I did not understand, with different skin colors,” he said. “The fact that everyone loved me was a new experience, overwhelming at first." Thaddeus was discarded in a railway station and was forced to crawl on his hands and stubs of legs to beg for food. Later, at an orphanage, he was chained to a post, and kids would throw rocks at him to prompt the masculine growls he made. When Mia saw him, she says, she had a powerful reaction: “That’s my son.” Mia thought he was 5, but when doctors examined his teeth, they determined he was 12. He was so full of rage that he would bite Mia and try to pull her hair out. But she taught him that even if he could not choose how he was born he could choose how to behave. He shared a room with Isaiah, who describes him as “the hidden gem of the family. He is such a hard worker.” Thaddeus eventually found he had a talent for mechanics.

Mia Farrow with her children (Getty Images)

Lying on his skateboard, he could push himself under cars to fix them. Mia tried to get him into a technical school, but they denied to admit him. Reports suggested that his girlfriend started taking him to church, he said, and he had a spiritual awakening. He became a good Samaritan, stopping to help people stranded along the roadside change their tires. He decided he wanted to work in law enforcement and talked his way into a criminal-justice program at a junior college. “You’re an inspiration,” the officer in charge told him. “I came back at Christmastime to tell Mia, ‘I know I never really said thank you, Mom.’ I just let out emotions I would never let myself express. Finally I was able to," Thaddeus said.



 

Thaddeus's middle name, Wilk, was taken in honor of Elliot Wilk who was the judge that oversaw Mia's bitter custody battle with Allen that ended with her becoming the sole caretaker of the couple's children.

This controversy regarding Mia's deceased children started online when people started coming up with theories about the death of her three children. On Wednesday, March 31, Mia revealed in a tweet that "Thaddeus died at 29, Farrow said. He was living with his partner, and the family was "anticipating a wedding," but "when the relationship abruptly ended, he took his own life."



 

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

John Oliver was bleeped out twice during his brief, 15-second Emmys acceptance speech on live television after he roasted host Nate Bargatze
Sep 15, 2025
Kevin Hart doesn't appreciate paparazzi’s question after viral video of him hosting Diddy’s party resurfaces
Apr 6, 2025
Diddy’s childhood friend Tim Patterson claims Janice Combs’s wild parties often involved pimps, homosexuals, and other adult activities
Apr 6, 2025
Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson tied the knot in 1994, but she initially thought the King of Pop was a creep—and we totally get why
Apr 6, 2025
Riley Keough opens up about the Presley family curse in a candid interview while on tour for her book, 'From Here to the Great Unknown'
Apr 5, 2025
Natalie Morales hits back after her interview with Seth Meyers is removed from all platforms due to a revealing outfit
Apr 5, 2025
"Babyface, can you believe she wants me to dress like a girl?" Michael Jackson told a producer.
Apr 2, 2025
Sofia Vergara also dished out on why she doesn't ever want to play Modern Family's Gloria again
Apr 2, 2025
"It took more and more to get high, and I honestly don't know when your body decides it can't deal with it anymore," Lisa Marie Presley wrote.
Apr 1, 2025
A family member's last-minute intervention saved Michael Jackson from the 9/11 tragedy—here’s what happened
Apr 1, 2025