⁠How many kids did Claire van Kampen have? All about her children as theatre director dies at 71

Popular director and composer Claire van Kampen passed away on January 18, 2025, at the age of 71. The director's husband, Mark Rylance, released a statement revealing that Claire van Kampen died on the morning of his 65th birthday.

Claire van Kampen is now survived by her husband, Mark Rylance, and her daughter, Juliet Rylance, whom she shared with her first husband, Chris van Kampen. It is also worth noting that besides Juliet, Chris and Claire had one more daughter, Natasha, who passed away in 2012 when she was only 28 years old.

Furthermore, the family confirmed the death of the director by stating that she passed away due to the complexities of cancer, as she was recently diagnosed with the disease.

The statement given by the family to People Magazine reads:

"Claire Louise van Kampen, Lady Rylance, has died this morning, Saturday the 18th of January at 11:47, in the ancient town of Kassel, Germany, surrounded by her family. Claire has died of cancer on Mark Rylance’s 65th Birthday. Her youngest daughter having died in 2012, she leaves her eldest daughter, Juliet Rylance, her two husbands, and countless beloved friends in England and America."

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Claire van Kampen’s daughter, Natasha, passed away due to a brain hemorrhage

Before being married to actor Mark Rylance, Claire van Kampen tied the knot with an architect, Chris van Kampen. However, the marriage did not last and ended in a divorce. A few years after that, Claire van Kampen tied the knot with Mark Rylance in 1987.

However, during her marriage to Chris, she and the former husband welcomed two daughters, Natasha van Kampen and Juliet Rylance. While Natasha went on to become a filmmaker, Juliet became an actress.

However, an incident took place in July 2012, when Natasha was flying from New York to London, and suddenly suffered a brain haemorrhage while on a flight.

She ultimately passed away, leaving the family devastated. Rylance even spoke about the incident to The Sunday Times in 2016 and said:

“It’s uncharted ground if something tragic like this happens to you. You become aware it has happened to a lot of people. You make your own decisions about how you get through it."

Claire Louise van Kampen, born in 1953, is best known for composing the music for her husband’s Hamlet in 1989. Her work was also applauded for her other plays, such as Days and Nights and Boeing-Boeing.

Claire started her career in 1986 when she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre.

Throughout Claire van Kampen's career, she worked on a number of projects, starting with The Tempest in 1991. She then worked on other projects like Romeo and Juliet, Love’s Labour’s Lost, King Lear, Henry IV, La Bete, and Shakespeare Walks.

On the other hand, Claire's husband, Mark Rylance also started his career with the Royal Academy with Dramatic Art and is best known for his roles in Richard III, Farinelli and the King, Intimacy, Institute Benjamenta, The Other Boleyn Girl and many more.

As the composer and director passed away, social media has been flooded with tributes and condolences from fans, friends, and colleagues.

However, at the moment, the family has yet to reveal more details about her funeral and memorial services.