John Cazale died on March 12, 1978. His death reportedly left Streep so distraught that she was seen lying on top of his chest as she cried aloud for him to wake up (via People).
Streep was then faced with the task of picking up the pieces of her life and moving on. She was kicked out of the apartment the two shared and enlisted the help of her brother, Harry, as she sorted through Cazale's belongings (via Goalcast). Harry brought his friend, Don Gummer, to help.
Gummer was taking an extended trip to Pakistan and Streep ended up subletting his apartment. They began to write letters back and forth, and one thing led to another. Streep and Gummer got married in September 1978, and she gave birth to their first child, Henry, 14 months later.
Meryl told People, "This baby is an affirmative commitment in pretty desperate times. It's the biggest thing that's ever happened to me."
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEpaCsrF6YvK57kmlncm9mZLavv8idnGallafGrXnSramenaCoeq7F0q2cq6GfqsBuvsSlmK2hn6PAqbXPZq6irJhit7C0zWaamrKRobJw