What Demian Bichir Has Been Doing Since His Wife Stefanie Sherk's Death

Mexican actor, Demián Bichir, has enjoyed a storied career both at home and in the U.S., but his name might not be wholly familiar to you. You'll definitely recognize his voice though. Most recently, Bichir stole the show in Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight as the hilarious Bob (IMDb). But the indomitable actor has made his mark on everything from Weeds to Savages and even The Heat.

However, Bichir's home life took a devastating turn for the worse when the actor lost his wife, Stefanie Sherk in 2019 (via ABC). The Mexican star confirmed Sherk had "passed away peacefully" on Instagram, admitting, "It has been the saddest and toughest time of our lives and we don't know how much time it will take for us to overcome this pain." He added, "It is our sincerest hope that our beautiful Stefanie, my angel and love of my life, will rest in eternal peace."

Stefanie Sherk's death hit her entire family hard

As People noted, Shirk's death was ultimately ruled a suicide by drowning, as per the L.A. County Medical Examiner-Coroner. The model and actress was just 43 years old. Later that same month, Bichir took aim at news outlets the Daily Mail and Telemundo for being "heartless" in the wake of his wife's passing. According to The Wrapin a since-deleted Instagram post, Bichir railed, "These people have no shame, no decency and no scruples." 

He added, "They shamelessly say 'our people,' la Raza, mis paisanos 'want to know.' False. Our people are way more sensible to other people's pain that this media will ever be." The Mexican star threatened legal action in dealing with what he described as "despicable acts" against the grieving family. Telemundo apologized in a statement to The Wrap. His younger brother, Bruno, subsequently told ET"It's been hard. ...Not only for us, but obviously for everyone."

Demian Bichir continues to pay tribute to his late wife

Bichir didn't publicly comment until December 2020, when he penned an emotional essay for Deadline, noting, "Grieving and mourning hasn't been easy and it will take us our entire lives to overcome the loss of such a beautiful human being." The actor also warned others to reconsider how they might be handling somebody who's struggling with mental health issues, explaining, "when you lose a loved one the way we lost my beautiful wife, time stops." 

Bichir subsequently took to Instagram on Jan 9, which would've been his late wife's birthday, to honor her memory. "On your birthday and every day we all love you and miss your pretty blue smile, deeply. You are much needed in these extraordinary times. Forever beloved Stefanie Sherk," he wrote simply alongside a photo of Sherk smiling brightly.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "home" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.