Joe Biden's Family Tragedies, Health Struggles Through the Years
Former President Joe Biden and his family have endured several tragedies over the years.
Biden married his first wife, Neilia Hunter, in 1966. The couple shared two sons, Joseph “Beau” Biden III and Hunter Biden, and a daughter, Naomi “Amy” Biden.
Weeks after Joe was elected to the Senate in 1972, Neilia and their three kids were involved in a car accident. Beau and Hunter survived the crash but Neilia and Amy tragically died.
Years after mourning his wife and daughter, Joe met Jill Biden. The couple wed in 1975 and welcomed daughter Ashley Biden in 1981.
Throughout his struggles, Joe remained a dedicated public servant. He served as a Senator from 1973 to 2009 before becoming Barack Obama’s vice president. In 2020, Joe was elected as the 46th president of the United States.
Joe initially was going to run for a second term. However, in July 2024, Joe withdrew from the election after he received concerns from the public about his age and health. (Joe was 81 years old at the time.)
In May 2025, news broke that Joe was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Keep scrolling to see the tragedies that Joe and his family have endured over the years:
Neilia Hunter and Naomi Biden’s Deaths
In December 1972, Neilia, Amy, Beau and Hunter were involved in a car accident while Christmas shopping. The Biden family’s station wagon was hit by a tractor-trailer after Neilia accidentally drove into the path of the oncoming vehicle.
Neilia, Amy, Beau and Hunter were pulled from the wreckage and rushed to Wilmington General Hospital. Neilia and Amy were pronounced dead on arrival. They were 30 and 13 months, respectively.
Biden’s sons survived the accident but sustained injuries. Beau had a broken leg while Hunter had a fractured skull.
“The pain … seemed unbearable in the beginning, and it took me a long time to heal, but I did survive the punishing ordeal,” Joe wrote of the tragedy in his 2017 memoir, Promise Me, Dad. “I made it through, with a lot of support, and reconstructed my life and my family.”
Joe Biden’s Brain Surgeries
In 1988, Joe began to suffer from severe neck pain, which was caused by a leaking intracranial berry aneurysm. While recovering from surgery, Joe suffered from a pulmonary embolism. The procedures and recovery kept Joe away from the Senate for seven months.
Beau Biden’s Cancer Battle and Death
In 2013, Beau was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, which is a type of cancer that starts as a growth of cells in the brain or spinal cord, per Mayo Clinic. Beau underwent surgery to remove a lesion. He also completed radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
Two years after his diagnosis, Beau died following a recurrence of brain cancer. He was 46.
Hunter Biden’s Substance Abuse Struggles

Hunter shared in his 2021 memoir, Beautiful Things, that he battled addiction throughout his adult life. He shared that his struggles started with alcohol when he was a teen before turning to crack cocaine. Hunter explained that he believed his struggle stemmed from losing his mother and sister.
“There were also times, I have to admit, when I felt as if no one else could understand my pain. It seemed narcissistic even to contemplate. Yet that didn’t make it feel any less true,” he penned. “Believing that your pain is exceptional doesn’t lessen anyone else’s. Pain is our universal condition. People can go through life without finding love, but no one lives long without experiencing real hurt. It can connect us or isolate us.”
Hunter has sought treatment for his addiction struggles and faced several legal issues.
Joe Biden’s Withdrawal From the 2024 Election
In July 2024, Joe announced that he was withdrawing from the 2024 presidential election after the public raised concerns about his age and health following a debate against Donald Trump.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he wrote in a letter shared via X.
Joe subsequently endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to run in his place. Harris ultimately lost to Trump.
Joe Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis

Months after leaving the White House, Joe was diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer.
“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” read a May 2025 statement from Biden’s personal office to CNN. “On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.”
The statement added that Joe and his family were “reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
After news broke about his condition, Joe took to social media to break his silence.
“Cancer touches us all,” he captioned a May 2025 Instagram post. “Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
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