Sandra Bullock’s partner of eight years, Bryan Randall, died Saturday at 57 after battling ALS.

“It is with great sadness that we share that on Aug. 5, Bryan Randall passed away peacefully after a three-year battle with ALS,” his family said in a statement, per People. “Bryan chose early to keep his journey with ALS private and those of us who cared for him did our best to honor his request.”

“We are immensely grateful to the tireless doctors who navigated the landscape of this illness with us and to the astounding nurses who became our roommates, often sacrificing their own families to be with ours,” the statement said.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. There is no cure.

Bullock, 59, who has ties to Alabama, first met the model and photographer in January 2015 after he photographed her son Louis’ birthday party.

In 2018, Bullock talked about surviving loss in her family, including the death of her father.

Bullock’s father, John Wilson Bullock, died on Sept. 18 in Birmingham at 93. He grew up in Birmingham and attended Fairfield High School, before serving in World War II and becoming a civilian contractor to the military. During his retirement, he returned to Birmingham to be close to relatives and lived part of each year here, according to a previous report by AL.com.

Bullock visited her father in Birmingham in 2010, taking him to dinner at one of his favorite restaurants, the Bright Star in Bessemer, for Father’s Day.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.