The Tragic Death Of Anderson Cooper's Brother

Losing someone you love is a devastating event that very few of us are properly equipped to handle. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, far too many people have had to grapple with loss, and most find themselves asking a myriad of difficult questions: "Could it have been prevented?", "Was there anything we could've done to save them?", and "Did they know how much we loved them?". Tragically, when decorated journalist Anderson Cooper and his family lost someone, the question was simply: "Why?"

Due in part to his enormously successful broadcasting career, many may not realize that Cooper was born into one of America's most prominent families: the Vanderbilts, who started a successful shipping and railroad empire before branching out into art and philanthropy. His mother was Gloria Vanderbilt, a glamorous socialite and artist known for helping to popularize blue jeans.

Cooper also had a beloved brother, Carter Cooper, who died at the age of 23, leaving the family heartbroken and in desperate search of answers.

In 1988, Anderson Cooper's older brother, Carter, died by suicide, per The New York Times. Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, were left struggling to reason why their beloved family member chose to end his life.

In a CNN essay in 2018, Cooper revealed that "not a day goes by when I do not find myself thinking about what happened and asking, 'Why?'" He went on to describe his late brother as "gentle" and deeply sensitive. Although somewhat worried about Carter's "anxious, distracted" behavior before his death, Cooper was reassured when his brother sought therapy — only to later discover that Carter has been recalcitrant in his sessions, preferring to keep his pain hidden. 

Vanderbilt had her own theories about her son's death, writing in her 1996 book, "A Mother's Story," that she "blamed side effects of the asthma drug salbutamol for the death of her son," ABC News reported in 2011.

It's been 33 years since his brother's death, but Anderson Cooper is still deeply affected by it. "Any time you lose a loved one, especially when you're younger, it alters the trajectory of your life," he told People in September. In fact, Cooper has at one point credited Carter's death as part of his inspiration to pursue investigative journalism, as per New York Magazine.

Cooper will never know the thought process that led to his brother's death. The most you can do, as Cooper has proven through his tireless work in exposing the truth through his journalistic work, is to live your life in a way that would make them proud.

Additionally, Cooper has advice for those that find themselves in a difficult situation. As he told CNN in 2018: "There is help available. Help and hope, even when you can't see it in the darkness... it is all around you."

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.