James Redford, Documentary Filmmaker, Activist, and 2x Liver Recipient, Passes Away
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
James Redford, documentary filmmaker, activist, and son of Robert Redford, passed away on October 16, 2020, at the age of 58.
Redford had been diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis and received two liver transplants in 1993. His liver disease returned two years ago, and the cancer was discovered in his bile duct in November 2019. He was on the waiting list for a third transplant.
He showed his gratitude for his transplant and organ donor by being a tremendous advocate for the transplant community. In 1995, he launched the James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness. He also produced “The Kindness of Strangers," a documentary that shows the impact of organ donation.
The AST is deeply saddened by the loss of James Redford. In 2011, he worked with the Society to host the Share the Beat event in San Francisco, CA.
AST Past President, Dr. Barbara Murphy, was on the AST Board of Directors during the collaboration. “I am deeply saddened to hear about the death of Jaime Redford. I had the pleasure of working with Jaime on the collaboration between AST and Share the Beat, a music-based program focused on raising awareness about organ donation through story telling that he had developed. Jaime was a gentle and thoughtful person, who channeled his personnel experience with transplantation into good for others. I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with him on this initiative and to experience firsthand what it means to meet a truly selfless person. I offer my condolences to his family at this at this tremendously difficult time,” Dr. Murphy noted.