Tragic Details About Cameron Diaz's Life

Cameron Diaz burst onto the Hollywood scene in the early '90s with "The Mask," and she quickly made a name for herself with gems like "There's Something About Mary," "The Holiday," and the "Shrek" franchise. But as fast as she rose to the top, Diaz quickly disappeared from the limelight for over a decade. She starred in the 2014 "Annie" remake, then didn't get back in action until she, well, made "Back in Action" in 2025.

It seems like her "retirement" from acting is now over, as she has several upcoming projects in the works. "It really comes to: What are you passionate about? For me, it was to build my family," Diaz said at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit in 2024 about why she took a hiatus from her career to focus on her family (via Variety). Her stunning transformation as both an actress and a person speaks for itself.

While many of her fans felt like her extended pause was a tragedy, Diaz has experienced actual tragedies throughout her life, from losing loved ones to making choices she wished she hadn't.

One of Cameron Diaz's biggest roles was in the film adaptation of Jodi Picoult's book, "My Sister's Keeper." It tells the story of a family whose daughter is very ill, so they have another child as a type of "donor baby" to help heal her. Diaz played the matriarch of the family, who had a tough time coming to terms with the fact that her older daughter was dying and her younger one was tired of being poked and prodded.

Diaz's father died while she was filming the heartbreaking movie and she admitted to Vogue for their June 2009 cover that she took his death hard (via Today). "Emotionally, it definitely took its toll," she said. "That's what the heart does. Things are given to us, and things are taken away. And I think the heart becomes stronger, more capable."

While that's an uplifting way to look at the loss of a parent, it still couldn't have been easy losing her dad while filming a movie playing a mother who was losing her daughter; it must have seemed like a double whammy of grief. Emilio Diaz died in April 2008 at age 58 from a staph infection.

Not only has Cameron Diaz lost her father,  but her cousin also died. Her loved one passed away from AIDS in the early 1980s, when the disease was still in its infancy and people didn't know much about it, unlike today. "There was no treatment. Everybody was scared and my dad wanted to go be there for him," Diaz shared back in 2023 during her appearance with the Los Angeles LGBT Center (via Variety).

The "Charlie's Angels" actress went on to become an activist for AIDS, citing her longtime involvement with the LGBTQ community. "I've always felt so heavily supported by the LGBTQ community just because, by nature, there's this connectivity to creativity," she said. "I started with AIDS Project [Los Angeles] from inception, because I knew people in the community who were suffering from AIDS. And it was a real rally for everyone to support." Kudos to her for taking a tragic situation and using it to make a positive contribution to society, presumably helping countless people in the long run.

Cameron Diaz is one on a long list of celebrities who have publicly shared they regret getting work done. Back in 2014, the acting veteran told Entertainment Tonight she did try Botox, but she ultimately wasn't a fan of the cosmetic procedure. "It changed my face in such a weird way that I was like, 'No, I don't want to [be] like [that],'" she said. "I'd rather see my face aging than a face that doesn't belong to me at all."

Diaz also told the outlet that she couldn't care less about having laugh lines on her face, because it shows she's had a life spent laughing and smiling — what could be better? While it's nice to see a celebrity embrace their age instead of trying to hide it, it is unfortunate that Diaz regrets getting cosmetic work done at all.

Back in 2022, the mother of two appeared on Michelle Visage's "Rule Breakers" podcast and admitted she had fallen prey to society's obsession with physical appearance. "I am absolutely a victim to all of the societal objectifications and exploitations that women are subjected to. I have bought into all of them myself at certain times," she explained (via Page Six). Hopefully, she will raise her kids, especially daughter Raddix, to love themselves as they are.