Robert Downey Jr.'s 2015 crash shattered his marriage—and his life
The 2015 car crash involving actor Robert Downey Jr. and his then-wife Edie Mani became a turning point in their nearly 30-year marriage. The incident, which Mani claimed was a deliberate attempt on their lives, later fuelled a bitter divorce battle. Both sides offered starkly different accounts of what happened that day in Colorado.
On a March afternoon in 2015, Robert Downey Jr. drove his vehicle head-on into an oncoming semi-truck on a Colorado road. His wife, Edie Mani, survived the crash but later testified in divorce court that he had intentionally steered into the truck's path. She described him as an 'experienced professional race car driver,' implying he knew exactly what he was doing.
Investigators ruled out alcohol and excessive speed as factors in the collision. Downey Jr. was cited only for careless driving. Yet the actor himself admitted to his family that he had deliberately caused the crash. He later changed his story, claiming he was suffering from 'acute psychosis' due to untreated bipolar disorder symptoms at the time.
The crash deepened the couple's rift. Downey Jr. blamed Mani for stopping his medication, arguing it had left him unstable. Their divorce was finalised shortly after, ending a marriage that had lasted nearly three decades. Despite the scandal, Downey Jr. continued acting sporadically, though he largely retreated from public attention in his later years.
Beyond his tumultuous marriage, Downey Jr. had another child, daughter Ever, with his former girlfriend Susan Snyder. His struggle with mental health persisted until his death by suicide in February 2026 at the age of 71.
The 2015 crash and its aftermath marked one of the most dramatic chapters in Robert Downey Jr.'s life. His conflicting explanations—first admitting intent, then citing mental illness—left unresolved questions. The divorce, his later career, and eventual death all unfolded against the backdrop of that fateful day in Colorado.
