Sharon Stone Reveals Feelings of Relief Upon Death of Abusive Grandfather

Sharon Stone has revisited one of the most painful chapters of her life, detailing the unexpected sense of relief she experienced upon learning of her abusive grandfather's death. In an intimate conversation with journalist Anderson Cooper for the podcast "All There Is," the actress recalled the childhood abuse she endured at the hands of her maternal grandfather.

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He was an abuser who abused my mother and did everything he could to get close to us to abuse us. He was not a grandfather; he was a creature that we tried to avoid at all costs.

Now 68, the "Basic Instinct" and "Casino" star delved into a subject she previously addressed in her 2021 memoir, "The Beauty of Living Twice." In the book, she recounted the sexual abuse she and her sister, Kelly, allegedly suffered. Stone returned to these memories to explain how she processed the death of the man she characterized as a "creature" whom the entire family actively avoided.

"He was an abuser who abused my mother and did everything he could to get close to us to abuse us. He was not a grandfather; he was a creature that we tried to avoid at all costs," Stone stated during the interview. Cooper shared a passage from Stone's memoir, describing the bewilderment she felt as a young teenager. "It's a very strange thing when you're a girl and the first experience you have with death is joy, relief, and emptiness," the journalist read.

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It's a very strange thing when you're a girl and the first experience you have with death is joy, relief, and emptiness.

Stone explained she was only 14 when her grandfather died, while her sister Kelly was 11. She contrasted the typical experience of a funeral, filled with family support and comfort, with her own reality. "At a funeral, there's usually care, affection, unconditional support. We didn't have any of that," she reflected. The actress recounted a vivid memory: approaching the coffin while her sister, standing behind her, repeatedly asked if he was truly dead. Kelly even asked her to check.

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I reached in and gave him a push on the shoulder. He remained rigid, didn't move, and I said, 'Yes.' I think I also said, 'It's over.' And still, we backed away.

"I reached in and gave him a push on the shoulder. He remained rigid, didn't move, and I said, 'Yes.' I think I also said, 'It's over.' And still, we backed away," Stone recalled. Beyond the starkness of the event, Stone described the moment as imbued with a difficult-to-articulate yet profoundly liberating sensation. "I will always have that strange feeling of emptiness etched in my memory. A pleasant emptiness. It's over," she expressed. This is not the first time the actress has spoken publicly about the abuse she suffered in childhood. When her memoir was published in 2021, she explained that the decision to reveal these events was made jointly with her sister. In a 2021 interview with The New York Times, Stone shared that they had discussed it with their mother, Dorothy, who initially reacted with distance, writing them a letter expressing her bewilderment.

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I will always have that strange feeling of emptiness etched in my memory. A pleasant emptiness. It's over.