Actor Keanu Reeves had a brief relationship with American actress and personal aide Jennifer Maria Syme. Syme, a native of California, lived her early years in Laguna Beach. Later, she and her mother moved to Los Angeles, where she began working for filmmaker David Lynch. She made a few acting appearances in movies, including the 1997 feature “Lost Highway.” Sometime in 1998, Syme started courting Reeves, and a year later it became known that she was expecting. The infant, named Ava Syme-Reeves, died during delivery. They split up shortly after, but they stayed friends up until her accident-related death in April 2001. In Los Angeles’ Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Syme was interred next to her daughter.
Early Youth & Life
In the American community of Pico Rivera, which is part of southeast Los Angeles County, Jennifer Syme was born on December 7, 1972. Maria St. John and retired California highway patrol officer Charles Syme were her parents. Her parents separated sometime after Syme was born.
She developed a passion for cuisine and music while growing up in affluent Laguna Beach, where she also began collecting antiques. She and her mother decided to relocate to Los Angeles as she was getting ready to start high school because they both felt that their lives needed a change.
Jennifer Syme’s Career
After moving to Los Angeles, Jennifer Syme discovered her love for filmmaking. She was particularly intrigued by David Lynch’s movies and television productions. When she was 16 years old, she entered Lynch’s office and enquired about employment opportunities on the set of the ABC mystery horror drama series “Twin Peaks.”
The vivacious young woman was hired by Lynch to work as an intern at Asymmetrical Productions, his business. She freely and outwardly expressed her views on movies and music while she worked there. Lynch has given her credit for introducing him to a number of artists whose works he used in his movies and television programs. Her close friend and director Scott Coffey claims that she had a significant impact on the soundtrack to “Lost Highway.”
She also developed an interest in performing at this time. In “Lost Highway,” she portrayed a drug addict. She also worked with Coffey on five of his indie short films, the most recent of which was “Elle Parker.” The film, which depicts a young woman in Los Angeles trying to adapt to modern life in a comedic way, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001.
She had always had a stronger love for music than movies. She also worked as Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction’s personal aide. Later, Navarro became a member of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Connection to Reeves
In 1998, Reeves and Jennifer Syme began dating informally. The couple’s relationship quickly became news for the tabloids, despite Reeves’ best efforts to avoid publicity. Reeves was at the height of his fame at the moment. Following the release of “The Matrix,” he rose to become one of the biggest cinema stars in the world in 1999. The moment Syme’s pregnancy was made public, the paparazzi began to follow the pair. Reeves purchased a house for her after learning of the pregnancy even though they never lived together.
Syme realized she hadn’t felt the baby move for several days toward the close of 1999. She visited the hospital out of concern, and an ultrasound there showed that the unborn girl had died in the womb. In January 2000, they gave her the moniker Ava and laid her to rest in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.
The toughest thing Syme and Reeves had to go through was losing Ava. The relationship ended shortly after. Their love wasn’t powerful enough to endure the loss of their baby, a friend was quoted as saying. Syme began using narcotics at some point after the baby’s death. She tried to get her life back on track despite her sorrow. She began going to a UCLA course on film direction.
When her grandpa Alfonso Diaz passed away on March 17, 2001, she relapsed into tears. She hadn’t visited a hospital since her kid died, and going there once more had a negative impact on her mental state. Her mother claims that it shattered her and caused her to experience severe depression.
Jennifer Syme’s Death
Syme received an invitation to a gathering at the residence of the musician Marilyn Manson on April 1, 2001. Later, a party attendee drove her home from the gathering. She departed her house once more just before dawn, most likely to return to the party.
She crashed her 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee into a line of stopped vehicles on Cahuenga Boulevard in Los Angeles. She was thrown out of the vehicle in part, and she passed away from her wounds right away. According to the results of the accident inquiry, Syme, 28, was driving while intoxicated and not wearing a seatbelt.
Two dollar bills that had been rolled up and covered in a white powder were found by police when they searched her vehicle. They also found two bottles of prescription medication, an anticonvulsant, and a muscle relaxant. The mother of Syme stated that she was receiving treatment for depression and back trouble.
In April 2002, St. John sued Manson for wrongful death, alleging that he had given Syme “various quantities of an illegal controlled substance” and had “told (Syme) to operate a motor vehicle in her incapacitated state.” Additionally, she demanded specific damages as well as legal costs.
Shortly after, Manson issued a statement in which he strongly denied the accusations and declared the lawsuit to be without foundation. Factor Lynch gave Syme a special tribute in his 2001 neo-noir thriller “Mulholland Drive.”
Estimated Net Worth
One of the wealthiest and most well-known movie actors is Jennifer Syme. According to our research, Jennifer Syme has a net worth of $5 million, as reported by Forbes, Wikipedia, and Business Insider.