Dakota Culkin’s tragic death and how her name lives on

Actor Macaulay Culkin is known around the world, and if you’re a ’90s kid, he was a staple of your childhood. Macaulay was first introduced to most of us as the sassy Kevin McCallister in the three Home Alone movies. The success of the films made Macaulay one of the most recognizable child stars in history. The 43-year-old is now a father, sharing two children with actress Brenda Song. When Macaulay and Brenda had their first child in April 2021, they named the baby Dakota Song Culkin, which was a tribute to the actor’s late sister, Dakota Culkin.

Who was Dakota Culkin?

Dakota Culkin was born on June 15, 1978, making her the second oldest in the family. Like her brothers, she too was interested in the film industry, working primarily in New York City before moving to Los Angeles to pursue her career. However, tragedy struck in 2008 when Dakota was hit by a vehicle while crossing the street in Marina del Rey, California. She passed away at just 29 years old.

Dakota, who was nicknamed “Cody” by her family and friends, had been going through some hard times before her passing. She had struggled with alcohol addiction, but her family had indicated to investigators that she was in therapy to help with the problem. At the time of her death, Dakota had some traces of alcohol in her system, but her blood alcohol level was not immediately known.

At the time of the incident, she had reportedly just exited a Marina Del Rey bar. “She was taken to UCLA hospital with massive head trauma and passed away on Dec. 10th at 12:45 PM,” the LAPD said in a statement. “The driver stopped, rendered aid, and identified himself as required by law. Detectives have determined that the driver was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, so no crime was committed.”

The young woman had just recently moved to L.A., and dreamt of a career in film. Unlike her siblings, however, Dakota wanted to be behind the camera, focusing on film production. Before her death, Dakota worked as an art production assistant on the 2009 supernatural thriller Lost Soul.

A director on Lost Soul, Dana Schroeder, said that Dakota was “a real sweetheart, a really good kid.” Schroeder also said of the aspiring filmmaker, “Dakota was very humble. She didn’t want to get in front of the cameras, she wanted to work behind the scenes.” One of Dakota’s co-workers, Andrea Poe, described her as “shy at first, but eventually she’d open up. She was actually quite hilarious, witty, and down to earth.” Poe additionally commented that, “All of us who knew and worked with Dakota are in deep shock. It was a total freak accident.”

Dakota was loved by all of her siblings, but she was especially close with her brother Macaulay.

What other Culkin family members have said about Dakota

The Culkin family originally consisted of Patricia Brentrup and Christopher Cornelius “Kit” Culkin, a former stage actor. The pair lived in New York City, and their family together included seven children: Macaulay, Kieran, Rory, Dakota, Quinn, Shane, Christian, and Jennifer.

You may recognize Kieran. He worked as a child actor as well, in films like The Father of the Bride and The Cider House Rules. As an adult, he garnered acclaim as the cheeky Roman Roy in the HBO show Succession.

Kieran has spoken to several outlets about the devastating effect his sister’s passing had on himself, and their entire family. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kieran commented that the death of his sister was the worst thing that ever happened in his family, and that everyone was “torn up inside,” with each of the siblings handling it differently. Culkin said, “I accepted at the time that this is going to be forever, and it’s never going to be fine. It’s always going to be devastating. I still weep about it out of nowhere. Something funny she did will pop in the head and make me laugh, and then I’m weeping. Sometimes it’s knowing that she’s not going to meet my kids and they don’t get to have her, and it’s hard to describe what she was like.”

Kieran found a way to playfully pay tribute to his sister during his time on Succession. In the opening episode of the show’s third season, Kieran’s character, Roman Roy, mocks his own sister Shiv, played by actress Sarah Snook, during an fight. He makes a wild face, and says, “Dur-dur-dur-dur-durrr!” This is something Dakota used to do to him, and adding the gesture to the scene was a way for Kieran to remember the good times he had with his own sister.

Of the moment, Culkin commented, “That’s hers. That’s just Cody’s move. You could never get one up on her because, even if she was wrong — ‘Dur-dur-dur-dur-durrr!’ — then she wins the argument. Cody is pretty Roman-y.”