PHOTOSDr. Jane Goodall's Family: Everything to Know After Her Death at 91
Dr. Jane Goodall, who died on October 1 at the age of 91, is survived by her sister, son and grandchildren.
Oct. 2 2025, Published 9:35 a.m. ET
Dr. Jane Goodall's Parents
Dr. Jane Goodall was the eldest child in the family.
Dr. Jane Goodall left behind her son, sister and three grandchildren following her death on October 1 at the age of 91.
The famous ethologist was born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall in Bournemouth, England, on April 3, 1934. She was the eldest child of businessman and racing car driver Mortimer Herbert Morris-Goodall and writer Margaret Myfanwe Joseph.
Jane's parents divorced after World War II when she was 12.
Dr. Jane Goodall Had a Younger Sibling
Her younger sister supported her work until her death.
Jane had a younger sister, Judy Goodall, with whom she lived in their childhood home on the south coast of England.
"It's the house where we grew up," she told People in 2024. "We still have it as a family home. My sister lives there permanently. She's four years younger than me, but our birthday is on the same day."
According to Jane's website, Judy and her family "played a huge role in supporting Jane’s work over the decades, providing a warm welcome whenever she returned home."
Dr. Jane Goodall Married Hugo van Lawick in 1964
Dr. Jane Goodall and Hugo van Lawick shared one child.
In 1964, Jane exchanged vows with filmmaker and photographer Hugo van Lawick after they met in Tanzania.
"Hugo and I seemed perfect," she revealed. "We both love animals. We both loved being in the bush."
Jane and Hugo worked together until he "had to go off and do his own thing" after National Geographic stopped funding him.
She added, "He couldn't just stay. I went with him, but I needed to get back to Gombe. I built up the research station and I had to — that was my thing. So we sort of drifted apart. We began to bicker."
They divorced in 1974 after 10 years of marriage, but they remained friends afterward.
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Dr. Jane Goodall and Hugo van Lawick Welcomed Their Only Child in 1967
Hugo Eric Louis van Lawick works as a boat builder.
On March 4, 1967, Jane and Hugo welcomed their only son, Hugo "Grub" Eric Louis van Lawick, in Nairobi, Kenya.
According to the activist, her divorce "was sad for our son, but he survived it okay. It was sad, but I think it was better."
Dr. Jane Goodall Remarried in 1975
Her son was 14 when she married her second husband.
In 1975, Jane wed Tanzanian parks director Derek Bryceson, who was also a cabinet member in Tanzania's government. He died five years later due to "horrible cancer."
"If I hadn't married him, there wouldn't be a Gombe today," she said of Derek. "If Hugo hadn't come along, the chimp story [probably] would have ended. Unfortunately, they were both extremely jealous. Both of them. Even jealous of women friends. They were really jealous and possessive... How I could do it twice? I don't know."
Dr. Jane Goodall Was a Grandmother to Her 3 Grandchildren
Hugo Eric Louis van Lawick and his wife, Maria, share three children.
In 2000, Jane became a grandmother when Grub and his wife, Maria, welcomed their first child.
She was a grandmother to her three grandchildren — Angel, Merlin and Nick — at the time of her death.
"My grandmother never really pushes us to do anything," Angel told The Press Democrat. "She just tells us, 'Never lose hope. If you really want to do something, go ahead and do it.'"
