Jessica Klepser, the ex-wife of German actor Christian Oliver, is opening up about the plane crash that took the lives of Oliver, 51 and their two daughters, Madita, 12, and Annik, 10, one year after the tragedy occurred.
On Sunday, Jan. 5, Klepser shared a heartfelt video on her Instagram page which featured a tribute to her daughters and former husband.
“One year… Crazy how the same amount of days can feel unbearable long and unbelievable short at the same time,” Klepser began her caption, underneath the montage of photos of herself and three friends placing photos of Oliver, Madita and Annik on a beach alongside some heart-shaped balloons.
“We went back to Newport this weekend and allowed ourselves to feel it all: the love, the loss, the grief, the gratitude. Pain and peace. We cried a lot, but we also laughed a lot,” she continued, as the montage, set to Lady Gaga’s “Always Remember Us This Way,” showed the group releasing the balloons into the air.
“And that’s okay, all of it,” she continued. “Grateful for all those beautiful people in my life who let me be me this year!”
“Maditz, Anniki & Chrissel, I will forever and always miss you and us together here on this side!” Klepser concluded the caption. “Thank you for sending the dolphins in the morning and for painting the sky pink at night. ❤️❤️❤️.”
Oliver — known for his roles in films including 1995’s The Baby-Sitters Club, The Good German and Speed Racer — died on Jan. 4, 2024, when a plane he and his two daughters were flying in crashed in the Caribbean, off the island of Bequia.
Klepser previously opened up about the plane crash in October, during an appearance on Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s MeSsy podcast. At the time, she detailed what happened to her family and how she learned of the crash.
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“Last Christmas Eve, after celebrating a beautiful day with my two beautiful daughters and my ex-husband, I drove all three of them to the airport because they had planned a beautiful vacation in the Caribbean to celebrate the birthday of a dear, dear friend,” Klepser recalled to Applegate and Sigler.
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“And they were supposed to come back on Jan. 4, and they got on a little plane to leave the island on Jan. 4,” she continued. “And right after takeoff, the little plane, I think the engine, something was wrong with the engine, the plane crashed into the water. And my two daughters, Madita and Annik, and my ex-husband Christian and also the pilot, they all crossed over.”
Klepser shared that she still feels strange when thinking about how people have responded to their deaths, telling the actresses: “A lot of people are telling me that I’m strong, and it always sounds a little weird to me because, but yeah, I feel strong also means that you allow yourself to cry and to grieve and to scream. That’s all part of being strong.”
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