Sandra Bullock’s longtime partner, Bryan Randall, has passed away at the age of 57, his heartbroken family confirmed.

The actress first met the photographer in 2015 after he took photos of her son Louis’ birthday party.

In a heartbreaking statement to PEOPLE, Randall’s family said: “It is with great sadness that we share that on Aug. 5, Bryan Randall passed away peacefully after a three-year battle with ALS.”

The family continued: “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.

“At this time we ask for privacy to grieve and to come to terms with the impossibility of saying goodbye to Bryan.”

According to the news outlet, the grieving family have asked for donations to the ALS Association and the Massachusetts General Hospital.

There is still no cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and most people with the condition are expected to live 2 to five years after the symptoms appear.

The condition is also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease after the US baseball player was diagnosed in 1939 at the age of only 36.

The couple started dating several months after they first met. They also attended Justin Theroux and Jennifer Aniston’s wedding that same year.

The Bird Box star was in the process of adopting her second child when Bryan’s symptoms manifested.

Bullock and Bryan have no children together but the actress has two adopted children – Laila, 11, and Louis, 13 – while Bryan has an adult daughter, Skylar, from a previous relationship.

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