John Schneider Took His Late Wife Alicia Allain's Death Especially Hard

John Schneider struggled to pick up the pieces following the tragic death of his wife, Alicia Allain. The "Dukes of Hazzard" star announced via Instagram in February 2023 that his wife of almost four years had sadly died after a private battle with breast cancer. She was 53. "My beautiful Smile is pain free, living in her new body alongside Jesus," Schneider wrote in his post. "Please respect our privacy during this time of grief. Please do not ask any questions ... hug those you love tight and let them know how you feel. We always did." 

The two had been married since September 2019 after meeting five years prior while working together on a movie project. Schneider — who was recently separated from his ex-wife, Elvira "Elly" Castle, at the time — was instantly smitten. "I knew that I had met my person," he told People about their first meeting. "It was wonderful ... I played the role she wanted me to play. I lost every battle, but I won because I got her."

The actor first opened up about his wife's struggle with cancer during their joint appearance on "Fox & Friends" back in January 2020. At the time, Allain revealed that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 HER2-negative breast cancer but was already in remission after months of "rigid" treatment. However, after being involved in a car accident in late 2021, it was revealed that her cancer had returned in a metastatic state and had already spread to her bones. In the wake of her death, Schneider has revealed how he's been affected by the devastating loss.

John Schneider was left in a state of mourning following the tragic death of his late wife Alicia Allain. In his first sit-down interview since losing her to breast cancer, the "Dukes of Hazzard" star opened up to People about his grief. "The thing that hurts me the most about it is that she had to endure pain. She had to endure fear. In my overly chivalrous mind, those are the two things I'm supposed to keep her from ever having to experience, and I couldn't," he said. 

Still coming to grips with the loss, Schneider said there's not a day that goes by that he does not think about his late wife. "I miss every damn thing, every day," he said of the life he once shared with Allain. "I have to get to the point where I look around and see where she is, not where she's not. And I'm trying to do that, but that's hard." 

Schneider has credited his faith in God with helping him cope with the loss of his late wife. During a chat with Fox News Digital, the actor confessed that he might have given up on his life had it not been for his belief that he and Allain would be reunited again in the next one. "Heaven is real. The promise of God that Alicia and I will see each other again forever," he said. "If it weren't for that, I think I would have jumped off a bridge."

The death of Alicia Allain has clearly left a massive hole in John Schneider's life. Earlier, the "Dukes of Hazzard" star shared that he got himself tattooed with his late wife's thumbprint in honor of her memory and of their lasting love. "Alicia and I always held hands," Schneider explained to Fox News Digital as he talked about the special ink. "When she passed, our daughter and I were at the funeral home, and a woman who was a dear friend of Alisha runs the funeral home, and she said, you know, we do thumbprints now." He said that the idea came to him right on the spot. 

The tattoo, according to an exclusive feature from People, is placed near the base of Schneider's thumb where "Alicia's would be if she was holding my hand," explained the actor. "Because that's where her thumb was most hours of the day," he added. "It didn't take any thought. It didn't take anything. It just popped into my head."

Aside from the tattoo, Schneider has also released a new album titled "We're Still the Same Us," which he wrote and recorded in honor of his dear wife. On his website, the 63-year-old screen vet and musician said that the process of creating his album has helped him "tremendously" in his healing journey, writing, "If you are in need, I believe it will help you too ... Each word directly from my heart to my beautiful bride, who waits for me at our table in heaven."