Back in April of 2016, comedian Patton Oswalt’s wife, Michelle McNamara passed away unexpectedly in her sleep at the age of 46.
Oswalt has admirably open about his grieving process, and in April, he paid loving tribute to McNamara in a moving social media post marking the one-year anniversary of her passing.
We’re sure Oswalt’s grief over McNamara’s passing has not been mitgated by the passage of time, but fans can take heart knowing that the beloved comic is living his life in the fashion his wife likely would have wanted – working, caring for his daughter, and possibly finding love with a new partner.
Oswalt attended the Los Angeles premiere of the new Edgar Wright film Baby Driver last night, and by his side was 47-year-old actress Meredith Salenger.
A Harvard-educated actress, Salenger has appeared in a number of films, including Lake Placid and Hollywood Heights.
She also does voice work for the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which no doubt appeals to a confirmed Star Wars obsessive like Patton.
Patton and Salenger reportedly held hands and posed for photos on the red carpet.
Neither has confirmed that they’re dating, but Salenger recently informed her social media followers that she’s “super in love.”
For as candid as he’s been about the difficulties of losing his wife, Oswalt is generally very private with regard to his personal life, so it may be quite some time before we learn how serious he and Salenger are as a couple.
The 48-year-old comic has an 8-year-old daughter from his marriage to McNamara.
Oswalt revealed last year that McNamara’s death was caused by prescriotion medications that exacerbated an undiagnosed heart condition that caused blockages in her arteries.
The true crime writer was in the process of completing a book detailing the crimes of a California serial killer at the time of her death.
Salenger appears to have offered sly verifitcation that she and Oswalt are an item by retweeting a fan who wrote:
“When the whole world wants you to be happy they send in @MeredthSalenger.”
And if anyone deserves happiness, it’s Patton and his daughter.
We wish the comic and his family all the best.