Is it normal to be upset at death of ex-boyfriend?

[Outdoorsie]

So I went out with a guy for 2 years in my early thirties, which is 12 years ago now. I heard he'd died suddenly recently, at a young age, and have felt tearful over it. This has surprised me because we haven't seen each other in all these years and both have partners. He was my first real boyfriend though.

i would say its a normal reaction

I think that's normal, it's sad when anyone young dies let alone someone you knew and once loved

Totally normal. My first ever boyfriend died about 15 years after we were together and it upset me.

He was part of the fabric of your life and I think it's only natural to grieve, even if he wasn't a current part

“I think that's normal, it's sad when anyone young dies let alone someone you knew and once loved”

This.

@Outdoorsie

Yes it’s normal and very sad
I hope you are ok x

Completely normal, and when a similar happened to me, not only did I feel so sad for him and his family, who I’d got to know well at that time, but I found myself weirdly thinking about a ‘what if we were still together scenario’ and would that have altered whether he’d still be alive, or I’d have been widowed too etc. It’s ok to feel sad, especially at this time of year, and this year in particular

Perfectly normal. He was a part of your life at one time. Even though you're not together, it's normal to wish someone well in life and it's sad when someone you knew passes away.

It would be weird if the news of his death had not affected you at all

I cried at my exh's funeral and I couldn't stand the cheating bastard. He was still a person in my sons life and it was a horrible death.

Yes I’d say its normal to be upset after all its your peer group ie similar age. Ive no feelings at all for my exh but i would be upset if he died.

Perfectly normal. A guy with whom I had been friends with benefits (a few years previously)was killed in a car crash a few years ago and it really shook me. I cried and mourned him.

Allow yourself grieve for him.

Totally normal. My ex died a few years back, it was not totally unexpected but still hit me hard. He was a part of my life, my story, and he was gone.

Absolutely normal, it would be stranger not to feel anything for someone who has been part of your life.

I got divorced about 25 years ago and my ex-mil died in November. Haven't seen her for years, but it still upset me.

I'd be very sad too if one of my ex boyfriends died. Regardless of the current situation, from still being friends to falling out and not talking, I know they are decent guys at heart, people I cared for deeply, and that doesn't disappear just because being a couple didn't work.

It's perfectly normal. It's tragic when anyone dies young, but even harder when they were special in your life. Those memories and experiences will still matter.

I think this is normal. Although it's never happened to me, I'd be shocked and sad if any of my exes died, from my first love to my most recent ex and those in between.

Quite normal if you had good times, made fine memories and there are no hard feelings. He was a significant part of your life.

I can’t think of a single one of my boyfriends/flings/old flames that I wouldn’t be very sad to hear had died.... even the ones I hadn’t seen for literally decades. Totally normal, I think. Similar to old friends. A girl I went to school with and was friends with in middle school (so 10-11yrs old and lost touch with after that) died in an accident when we were 35 and it really upset me. Similar I would say.