How Hallmark's Lacey Chabert Has Handled Her Sister's Tragic Death

From the moment Lacey Chabert shared news of her sister's heartbreaking death in 2021, she acknowledged that moving past the tragedy would take some time — if healing completely was even a possibility at all. A few years on, the pain has yet to subside. However, the Hallmark actor has found a beautiful way of handling her grief: by honoring fond memories. 

As fans of the "Party of Five" star will likely remember, back in 2021, she informed her fans of her sister Wendy Chabert's passing via Instagram. "Our hearts are shattered into a million pieces that I don't know how we will ever put back together again now that you're gone," she wrote. In the time since, Lacey has given a number of updates to prove that to be true. In January 2022, she shared that while there had been some moments of respites, there were often times she felt she couldn't breathe because the grief was too great to bear. Likewise, that May, she shared that a trip to Hawaii with her other sister, Crissy Chabert, she'd had plenty of fun, but there was also a lot of sadness that Wendy wasn't there, too. 

That said, Lacey hasn't tried to avoid the heartbreak. Quite the contrary, as she's shared a few times, leaning in to the memories she and Wendy shared has been the best way for her to handle her pain.

In August 2023, Instagrammer @Katcancook posted a video sharing that making a BLT sandwich and playing old music was one of her favorite ways to feel closer to her dad, who had passed away. That clearly resonated with Lacey Chabert, as she posted it to her Instagram Stories. She also shared a caption suggesting that she had done something similar. "Sometimes it's just simple things like this that bring back such special memories of my sister and are so healing," she wrote (via Cinema Blend). 

As for some of what's helped Lacey honor Wendy Chabert's memory, she shared on Christmas Eve 2021 that she'd been thinking about how much Wendy had loved the holiday. That wasn't all, though. In another very special instance, Lacey shared in an Instagram post that although she originally didn't feel up to promoting her latest Hallmark movie, "Christmas at Castle Hart," so soon after her sister's passing, that changed when she remembered how connected she'd felt to Wendy while making it. 

Taking to Instagram, Lacey explained, "One of the things that separates this Christmas movie from my other ones is that it actually features a beautiful relationship between two sisters. While we were filming I thought about Wendy many times as the character of Margo reminded me so much of her." In light of that, she finished her caption, "I'd like to dedicate this movie to my sister and let it serve as a tribute to her beautiful life."

As anyone who has faced grief will know, thinking of a loved one in past tense can be unbelievably distressing, and Lacey Chabert's experience was no different. In fact, in one Instagram post, Lacey opened up about how painful it was hearing her sister being spoken about in that way, and even noted that it brought in a fresh wave of heartbreak, every time. 

That said, in the same post, Lacey also shared that her daughter had offered a heartwarming perspective. Writing about the time she told the daughter she shares with husband David Nehdar that the movie they were watching had been Wendy Chabert's favorite, Lacey shared, "Julia corrected me and said, 'No, mom, it's still one of her favorite movies, she's just up in heaven now.'" It's likely the little girl's sweet sentiment had been picked up from her mom, who just needed a reminder of that. After all, a few months prior, Lacey had shared in another Instagram post that she felt her sister's presence all the time. Noting that she was heartbroken about not being able to hear Wendy's voice, she wrote, "When I'm still enough, I realize I really do hear it. I hear it because she's embedded in my every thought."

As devastating as it was for Lacey to lose her sister, it's wonderful knowing how close they were. But, as Julia Nehdar would likely point out, they still are — just in a different way.