Jennifer Landon’s 8 Siblings: All About Her Brothers and Sisters

“She was coming home from a fraternity-sorority gathering with four friends in a little Volkswagen, and they were struck by a Ford going in excess of 80 miles an hour,” Michael told PEOPLE in 1985. “It killed everyone but her, and it broke everything in her — all her ribs, her neck, you name it.”

Cheryl was in a coma for three days, during which Michael said he promised that if she recovered, he “would do my best to make a product to help people.” That promise came to fruition nine years later when he created and starred in Highway to Heaven.

Jennifer and her siblings were all very close with their father when he died in 1991

In July 1991, Michael died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 54. His sudden death forever altered his children’s lives, especially Jen and Sean, who were both under 10 when he died.

“It is devastating beyond comprehension to lose a parent, especially at an early age,” Jennifer told the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “When dad was fighting the disease, Sean was too young to understand. I understood more; I knew if he was doing well or not well on any given day.”

“I was too young to know he was famous,” added Sean, “but I knew how fun and playful he was.”

A year after their dad’s death, Leslie shared that she and her older siblings were doing everything possible to keep Michael’s light alive at home.

“Dad loved to bring in fantasy play and pretending, which is a lot of what we do with the little ones still,” she told PEOPLE in 1992. “There are games that I play with them that Dad taught Mike Jr. and me when we were little — like African safari in the pool.”

On his father’s death, Mark reflected, “I’d want to go with dignity, like he did.” Christopher, who was just 15 at the time, added, “You could say a thousand goodbyes and it would never be enough.”

Shawna and Sean both work in Los Angeles real estate

Shawna and Sean are Los Angeles realty powerhouses. Having grown up in southern California, the sister-brother duo credit their upbringing for providing them a front row seat to the Los Angeles real-estate landscape.

Shawna, who also has a background in marketing, has been a realtor at Compass since 2022. She works closely with clients in the entertainment industry, and specializes in “luxury properties” that cover “a wide array of cities and neighborhoods, from Bel Air to Venice,” according to her LinkedIn bio.

Meanwhile, Sean represents Douglas Elliman Real Estate. His niche is Malibu and surrounding neighborhoods, per his bio page. “Sean Landon was born and raised in Malibu with deep familial ties to this special beach side community,” reads the bio.

Christopher has produced some of the biggest horror movies in Hollywood

Christopher has written, directed and produced some of the most popular horror films of the 21st century. His resume includes the Paranormal Activity franchise, Happy Death Day 2U and Freaky. In August 2023, he was also named the new director for the next film in the Scream franchise, Scream 7.

Christopher never collaborated with his late father, but has pulled from Michael’s catalog for inspiration. He co-wrote the screenplay for the TV movie Highway to Heaven, which is inspired by his father’s famous show from the ‘80s.

Additionally, he revisited their father-son relationship while writing and directing Netflix’s We Have a Ghost.

“There’s a lot of that in the movie, of me unpacking my relationship with my dad,” he gleaned in an IndieWire interview. “My dad died when I was 16, so I never got to have the adult conversations with him, and so this is, kind of in a weird way, my way of doing that.”

Michael Jr. has produced movies about and Cheryl has written books about their late father

In the ‘90s, both Michael Jr. and Cheryl channeled their grief into works of art about their late father. The 1999 made-for-TV movie, Michael Landon: The Father I Knew, detailed Michael Jr.’s upbringing, including the years following his parents’ divorce. Michael Jr. also pulled back the curtain about his complicated relationship with his dad, including their reconciliation later in life.

This project kickstarted Michael Jr.’s passion for storytelling. He’s since gone on to write, direct and produce blockbuster hits such as The Velveteen Rabbit (2007).

Cheryl has published two books. Her memoir titled I Promised My Dad: An Intimate Portrait of Michael Landon by His Eldest Daughter came out in 1992, and covered similar life events as her brother’s film. Michael Landon’s Legacy: 7 Keys to Supercharging Your Life was released in 2001. This second book was inspired by Cheryl’s final conversation with Michael on his deathbed, and his spiritual words of wisdom, “Love one another.”

Cheryl is a motivational speaker

Cheryl now resides in Coronado, an island off the coast of San Diego. She’s been an active member of her church’s community since moving there in 2017. In addition to overseeing the church’s outreach program, she’s worked as a motivational speaker and lecturer.

“My family is the church … I am just happy here,” she told The Coronado News.

Elsewhere in the interview, Cheryl remarked on the secret vow that her father had made — unbeknownst to Cheryl — in the wake of her 1973 car accident. The surprising declaration had inspired Cheryl to become a motivational speaker in Michael’s honor. She recalled thinking upon her father’s death, “What could I give this man who has given me the world?”