This marks Reeves first public relationship since he dated Jennifer Syme. In 1999, Reeves and Syme were expecting a daughter together, however she was stillborn. The couple had already chosen a name for their little girl: Ava Sadly. Two years later, Syme tragically died at age 28 in a car crash in Hollywood.
Discussing his grief with Parade in 2006, Reeves said:
Grief changes shape, but it never ends. People have a misconception that you can deal with it and say, ‘It’s gone, and I’m better.’ They’re wrong. When the people you love are gone, you’re alone. I miss being a part of their lives and them being part of mine. I wonder what the present would be like if they were here—what we might have done together. I miss all the great things that will never be.
Damn it! It’s not fair! It’s absurd. All you can do is hope that grief will be transformed and, instead of feeling pain and confusion, you will be together again in memory, that there will be solace and pleasure there, not just loss.
Much of my appreciation of life has come through loss. Life is precious. It’s worthwhile.
