What happened to Sally Jesse Raphael’s daughter? Retired talk show host suffered tragedy years before retiring from show

Sally Jesse Raphael is serving “sailboat vibes” to her fans with her recent Instagram post. The retired talk show host looked unrecognizable in her recent picture, as she is seen posing on a sailing boat. Raphael has made occasional TV appearances since the cancellation of her program. Sally concluded in 2002, a decade after the renowned host suffered a personal tragedy.

Happy Friday, Raphaelites! I’m serving you sailboat vibes 🥰 #sailboat #sjr #redglasses pic.twitter.com/azrtkGX2qe

— Sally Jessy Raphael (@SJRaphael) July 25, 2025

Sally Jesse Raphael’s daughter, Allison Vladimir, was found unresponsive by a friend on February 2, 1992, according to UPI. Alan Rubenstein, then Bucks County DA, told the Associated Press that Vladimir was at her mother’s bed-and-breakfast inn, the Isaac Stover House, in Tinicum Township, and was rushed to Doylestown Hospital.

Allison was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, while the Bucks County Coroner, Thomas Rosko, did not reveal a cause of death immediately. In an initial statement, the coroner said:

“We conducted an autopsy but it did not reveal the cause of death. We did not find evidence of a heart attack or stroke.”

The coroner also ruled out foul play due to a lack of evidence, but the officials confirmed that an investigation was underway. Per UPI, DA Rubenstein stated that the death was being treated as a “suspicious incident.” However, on Wednesday, February 5, 1992, the coroner announced that Allison’s death was accidental.

Sally Jessy Raphael’s daughter passed away due to "combined adverse effects of her prescribed medicine"

Bucks County Coroner Rosko dismissed the possibility of s**cide and confirmed that Allison Vladimir’s death was accidental. He told The New York Times in February 1992:

“The cause of death is respiratory arrest due to the combined adverse effects of medication she was taking.”

While the coroner maintained that collective effects were the reason, he added:

“The levels of each drug were not in overdose amounts. That is why I ruled this to be an accidental death and not a s**cide.”

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Allison was taking medicine for her back issues. The coroner noted that her smoking, weight, and alcohol use might have also played a role.

For those unaware, Allison was Raphael’s daughter from her first marriage with Andrew Vladimir. At the time of Allison’s passing, the talk show host’s son was also hospitalized. He was critically injured due to an accident that happened in January 1992. In February, Raphael got emotional on her show, as she told the audience (via Orlando Sentinel):

“I’m sure a lot of you know by now that the last several weeks have been the most awful, the most difficult time of my life. My son, J.J., was in a serious car accident. He’s still hospitalized, and two weeks later my oldest daughter, Allison, passed away.”

Sally’s eponymous show remained on air for a decade until its cancellation.