Broadway and SMASH star Megan Hilty has broken her silence after her sister, brother-in-law and nephew died in a tragic seaplane crash.
In an emotional post to InstagramHilty, 41, revealed her sister Lauren was also pregnant at the time of the crash, and she and her husband, Ross, had been expecting to welcome the baby, a son they had named Luca, next month.
“The last three days have been the worst of our lives,” Hilty wrote. “There are truly no words to appropriately convey the depth of our grief.”
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The family died in a seaplane crash in Puget Sound in Washington on Sunday, which was confirmed by the US Coast Guard on Tuesday.
Hilty said addressing the news was “the last thing” she wanted to do, but there had been a mistake in the media’s reporting that she wanted to address.
“The last thing I wanted to do was acknowledge this painful family tragedy publicly, but it’s come to my attention that several news outlets have misgendered my sweet nephew and some haven’t even mentioned baby Luca,” she wrote.
“Lauren and Ross left behind my niece who we are all holding in our hearts. Thankfully, she was not on the plane and we ask that her name and personal information be kept private as she is a minor.
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“It is important these details be corrected to respectfully honour everyone we’ve lost and the loved ones they’ve left behind,” she added.
Hilty’s niece has lost her mother, father, brother Remy, and unborn brother Luca.
The actress ended her post with a nod to the “outpouring of love and support” her family has received over the last few days.
“[It] has meant so much to everyone in our family,” Hilty wrote. “It has been so comforting to know just how loved Lauren, Ross, Remy and Luca truly are.”
Hilty was believed to be incredibly close with her sister, with the pair travelling to Australia on a family trip with their mother, father and other sister, Kristen Hilty in 2019.
“We are fa-mi-ly I got all my sisters (and my Mom & Dad) with me!,” Megan captioned a family selfie on Instagram at the time, as they took in the sights of Sydney Harbour.
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