Julian McMahon’s death on July 2 at the age of 56 after a battle with cancer rocked Hollywood, but his decision to keep his health journey private only reminded fans how his personal life was often kept off the paparazzi’s radar. 

On July 5, former Baywatch star Brooke Burns posted an Instagram tribute to the Charmed actor — and that’s when many people learned the two of them were married many years ago. McMahon and Burns began dating in 1998 while she starred on the iconic lifeguarding show as Jessie Owens, and the Australian actor played Detective John Grant on Profiler.

The duo married in 1999 and welcomed their only daughter, Madison, in 2000. The marriage turned out to be short-lived as they divorced in 2001 but they remained amicable co-parents over the years and were often spotted on family outings. Burns went on to marry The Accountant director Gavin O’Connor in 2013, while McMahon married his third wife (his first wife was Dannii Minogue), Kelly Paniagua, in 2014. 

Despite their split over two decades ago, Burns made sure to honor her ex-husband with a bittersweet tribute. The 47-year-old game show host posted a loving snapshot of Madison with McMahon, along with a broken-heart emoji in the caption. “Rest in Peace,” she added in text on the photo. The father-daughter duo had their heads gently next to each other while they smiled brightly at the camera. 

Madison, who is also a yoga teacher, had a now-heartbreaking exchange with her dad on Instagram after she taught her first class. 

“Taught my first yoga class today at @ahanayoga!! I guess dreams do come true,” she wrote in the caption of the video on March 8.

“Your [sic] awesome,” wrote her proud dad.

“No, YOU’RE awesome,” Madison cutely chimed back with the grammatical correction in the comments.

McMahon’s wife was the one who shared the official family statement about his death with Deadline on July 4. 

“Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans,” the statement read. “His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible. We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy. And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories.”

Before you go, click here to see which celebrity kids lost their parents too soon.