The late Jennifer Syme was an aspiring production assistant in Hollywood. She also had a successful acting career and had hoped to break into the film industry. However, those lofty aspirations were curtailed when she died in 2001 at the age of 28. So what caused her death? What about her romantic relationship with actor Keanu Reeves? Details on this and more can be found below.
Jennifer Syme Bio
Jennifer Maria Syme was born on December 7, 1972. She was raised in the town of Pico Rivera, Los Angeles. She was the daughter of Charles Steves Syme, a police officer, and his wife Maria St John. Her father was of German, Scottish, Irish and English descent while her mother was Hispanic. Syme grew up with her mother after her parents divorced. Throughout her childhood, Jennifer Syme fell in love with various aspects of show business such as movies and music. She aspired to a career in this direction and at the age of 16 applied for an internship as a production assistant.
She was subsequently hired by filmmaker DavidKeith Lynch. Landing that gig was a major coup for Jennifer Syme as Lynch was a high-profile filmmaker. While at Lynch, Syme worked as a production assistant on his 1997 film, Abandoned Highway . She made many useful contributions to film music and even got a supporting role in the film. By the end of their tenure at Lynch, the two became good friends. Jennifer later found employment with a record label. She was then hired as the personal assistant to rock artist Dave Navarro.
Relationship with Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves is without a doubt one of the most popular actors Hollywood has ever seen. He has acted in several blockbuster films including Point Pause, Speed, The Matrix, My Own Idaho, John Wick, The Devil’s Advocate, Constantine, etc. Jennifer Syme met Keanu Reeves in 1998 at a party. They were immediately introduced to each other and later began a relationship. The couple never tied the knot, nor did they live together. However, Reeves bought a house for Syme to protect her from the media. Syme became pregnant in a year and the couple were over the moon and eagerly awaiting the birth of their newborn.
However, her joy turned sour when she discovered the baby had died in the womb as early as the eighth month of pregnancy. Syme gave birth to the stillborn baby in December 1999. Her posthumous name was Ava Syme Reeves and she was buried in a Westwood Village cemetery. After the death of their baby, the couple couldn’t handle the devastating loss and grief. After that, they broke up and went their separate ways. Jennifer Syme pushed ahead with her life and enrolled in a college film supervision class. However, she still suffered from postpartum depression, which was further complicated by the death of her maternal grandfather, Alfonso, in March 2001.
demise
Jennifer Syme passed away on April 2, 2001. Her death was the result of a tragic car accident. On April 1, Syme attended a party at the home of popular rock musician Marilyn Manson. After the party she went back to her house. However, she decided to return to the party venue at dawn, this time taking her own car. She never made it to her destination as her jeep was involved in an accident. She swept aside a number of parked vehicles and was partially thrown from her vehicle. Unfortunately she died on the spot. She was then 28 years old.
The police investigation revealed that she was not wearing her seat belt and was intoxicated. Police also found medication in her car, but her mother explained that she was taking it for health reasons. Syme’s death was a painful loss for her family, friends, colleagues and also for Reeves. Although they were no longer together at the time of her death, they were still friends and the loss still pained him.
He has since revealed that he misses all the amazing things that could have been if the mother and daughter were still alive. Her death has been suggested to be the reason, while the actor shies away from the prospect of starting a family. Jennifer Syme was buried next to her daughter Ava. Her boyfriend-turned-boyfriend David Lynch also paid tribute to her by dedicating his critically acclaimed 2001 film (Mulholland Drive) to her.