Laura Prepon, 46, the actress who became a household name playing Donna Pinciotti in “That ’70s Show,” shared devastating news on Wednesday, August 5, 2026: her brother Brad Prepon had passed away on July 15 from a heart condition nobody knew he had. He was 48.
The unexpected nature of the tragedy prompted the star to issue an urgent plea to her audience about medical vigilance. In a social media post that included family photographs collected across the years, she revealed her family had held services during the weekend of August 1 and encouraged everyone to listen to their bodies and act quickly when something feels off.
“He passed away suddenly from an unknown heart condition — it was a devastating shock,” she wrote in her emotional statement. She asked followers to embrace the people they care about and not take time with them for granted.
Who Brad Prepon Was
After relocating to California in 2002, Brad Prepon maintained a tight bond with Laura and the three other sisters in their family. A man whose mind never stopped working, he had a deep love for world history, with World War II holding special fascination for him, according to his obituary.
Fitness and health mattered greatly to him, as did moments spent with family during holidays or sharing a lively evening out. His analytical nature and curiosity about how systems functioned defined much of his character. Those close to him remembered someone whose individuality left a lasting impression on everyone he encountered.
The family’s memorial notice highlighted tennis among his interests and underscored the warmth he brought to celebrations. They emphasized that his unique spirit and the love he gave would endure in the memories of those whose lives he shaped.
A Sister’s Grief and Warning
Because the cardiac issue that claimed her brother’s life went undetected, the actress turned her mourning into a public health message. Her statement stressed the importance of acting on intuition when it comes to bodily warning signals and not putting off evaluation.
She wrote that she would carry him always within her, describing the magnitude of his impact and the emptiness his passing created. She spoke of gratitude for what he meant to everyone who had known him and described his departure as the loss of something extraordinary.
Career Milestones and Public Struggles
From 1998 through 2006, Prepon portrayed the red-haired Donna on “That ’70s Show,” a role she reprised years later for “That ’90s Show.” She later gained a new wave of recognition playing Alex Vause, a dark-haired ex-girlfriend with cartel connections, on “Orange Is the New Black.”
Her personal life has faced turbulence lately. Following her 2024 split from husband Ben Foster, an actor, she leveled accusations of chronic alcohol abuse and behavior she described as cruel and inhuman. Foster responded by asserting that continued cohabitation posed risks and was inappropriate. They have two children together.
The star has been forthcoming about overcoming an eating disorder as well. In “You and I, As Mothers,” her memoir, she revealed that her mother introduced her to bulimia, a childhood trauma whose effects persisted long into her healing journey. She has noted that discussing her maternal relationship and disordered eating brought an overwhelming response from readers facing similar battles, and that even helping a single person justified the vulnerability of sharing.
Brad’s death represents another profound loss for someone who has increasingly chosen transparency about hardship. By announcing his passing alongside a call for preventive health action, she once again attempted to channel private pain into a message that might protect others from similar heartbreak.
