Watch: Chad Lowe and Kim Painter’s Daughter Fiona Dies at 13
Chad Lowe understands better than most that even during the toughest, most gut-wrenching moments, life goes on.Â
And not just in the fictional world where he spent two seasons playing an AIDS-stricken teen on the ’90s ABC dramedy.
IRL, the Emmy winner did his best to gather the literal pieces of the existence he shared with wife Kim Painter and their daughters Mabel, Fiona and Nixie after their home burned down in the January 2025 Pacific Palisades fires.Â
Because while their Los Angeles-area spread was reduced to ash, the love remained, Lowe writing in a Valentine’s Day tribute to his bride of 16 years, “Through the good times and bad times, one thing remains the same—you are my Valentine!”
Of course, now the pair face an even more unimaginable test.Â
“We are deeply heartbroken by the loss of our beloved Fiona,” the pair shared in a Sept. 29 statement to People, revealing their 13-year-old had died. A “loving young girl who was smart, creative, and loved to dance,” they recounted of their second-born, “she was adored by her sisters and she was deeply loved by her parents. In fact, she was the light of our lives.”Â
And now that their world has significantly dimmed, they’re hoping to help others avoid the same pain.Â
“Her passing is devastating for our entire family,” the Pretty Little Liars alum, 58, and the producer, 52, concluded. “If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.”Â
Juan Pablo Rico/AFP via Getty Images
Their message wasn’t the first time Lowe—the younger brother of fellow actor Rob Lowe—and his bride had acknowledged how tough the previous year had been.Â
“Almost a month after we evacuated our girls finally got to go back to see what’s left of their home,” the actor detailed in a February 2025 Instagram post, sharing a photo of his crew surveying the wreckage. “The way they’ve handled this whole devastating experience is nothing short of remarkable. I am in awe of their spirit and resilience. Helping them navigate these tough times is my sole purpose.”Â
Because for Lowe, being called Dad by Mabel, 17, Fiona and Nixie, 10, “is my life’s greatest joy and privilege.”Â
It’s a journey that began in January 2007, Lowe connecting with the casting director and producer—who’s worked on 1998’s Enemy of the State, 2002’s Ted Bundy and 2005’s Instant Dads—a year after he and Oscar winner Hilary Swank announced the end of their nearly nine-year marriage.Â
Two years in, the couple revealed they were expecting (“She woke up with a very big smile on her face and I knew exactly what that meant,” Lowe told People at the time) and by the time they wed in an August 2010 oceanfront ceremony, 15-month-old Mabel was able to lead them down the aisle as ring bearer.Â
Younger sister Fiona joined the party in November 2012, with Nixie rounding out their family in March 2016, her name—a nod to the shape-shifting, mythical water spirits from Germanic folklore—celebrating the couple’s shared love of surfing.Â
“We’re wonderfully outnumbered, I like to say,” Lowe told People. “We feel so fortunate.”Â
Together, they continued to ride the highs and lows of life, Lowe calling out “rad surfer mom” Painter for winning the Kelly Slater Surf Ranch’s wave of the day trophy this past May.
As he detailed in the birthday tribute, “My wife is many wonderful things: loving, caring, nurturing, adventurous, brave and beautiful. Just to name a few.”Â
And Lowe was happy to heap praise onto all of his girls, having celebrated Mabel’s birthday days earlier by stressing how “proud” he was “to be your Dadda.”Â
He was similarly laudatory toward “beautiful soul” Nixie. And when Fiona kicked off her teenage years last November, he wrote, “Keep dancing through life FiBear! Love you soooo much!!”
But, mostly, the Ohio native gushed about how grateful he was for the world they all shared.Â
Though he acknowledged it was “deeply painful” to lose everything they ever owned along with their house, they had also gained a valuable lesson.Â
“We have each other,” he reasoned in a January 2025 post showing the charred remains of everything they’d built together. “Home really is where the heart is. Hold those you love close. Take care of each other. This crazy thing called ‘life’ is so damn precious.”Â
And their bond truly is special. Look back at their happiest moments.Â
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Chad Lowe/Instagram
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