Comedian and podcaster Marc Maron is opening up about how he's processing grief following the unexpected death of his girlfriend, Lynn Shelton.
The "Little Fires Everywhere" director died in May of a previously unidentified blood disorder. Her death certificate lists acute myeloid leukemia and related organ failure as the cause of death. Shelton was 54.
"There’s nothing but grief around. It’s a tough emotion for people to sit in and accept," the host of "WTF With Marc Maron" told the New York Times.
A few days before Shelton unexpectedly died, Maron said she had a 104-degree fever and swollen glands. She had made an appointment to see a doctor, but Maron woke up before that to find his girlfriend had collapsed. He called an ambulance and Shelton died less than 18 hours later, he said.
"The one thing the pandemic has given me is time to process and sit with the feelings. I cry every day," Maron said. "The shock and the trauma have dissipated a little bit, so now I deal with the loss. I have her jacket that she always wore, and her hat and boots. I have the shirt that I met her in. I touch these things when I can and try to keep her with me."
The "Glow" actor said the couple had only been together for "a year and change," and that their time together was "short and sweet." But there was no doubt it was special.
"I didn’t know her as well as many people knew her, which is something I found out at memorial events," Maron said. “There are people who have known her for 25 years. Hearing everybody’s experiences with her, working on all these films, I’m like, what stories do I have? But I realized we had a unique frequency to our connection.”
Maron met Shelton when she came on his podcast. He had seen some of Shelton's independent films, but he said he hadn't heard of her before that. There was instant chemistry.
"I got her and she clearly got me," he said.
Shelton directed two of Maron's Netflix stand-up specials and the 2019 movie "Swords of Trust." She also had an incredible career as a writer and director, including credits on "The Morning Show," "Mad Men," "The Mindy Project," "Fresh Off the Boat," "New Girl," and "Glow."
She was honored with a posthumous Emmy nomination on Tuesday for directing "Little Fires Everywhere."
After her death, tributes poured in from stars Shelton had worked with over the years, including "Little Fires Everywhere" star Reese Witherspoon.
"I’m in complete shock that this vibrant, talented, and soulful filmmaker is no longer with us," she wrote. "Lynn was so passionate about our show, Little Fires Everywhere. She said the book truly spoke to her, and that she longed to direct a show that spoke meaningfully about motherhood, sexuality, race, and class in America. And she did."