Dr. Seuss cheated on his wife while she was sick with cancer for 13 years. She committed suicide because of his infidelity, and he later married his mistress.
Probably not the most uplifting story for one of the most beloved children’s book authors of all time, but there it is. Seuss’ wife, Helen Palmer Geisel, suffered from a long series of illnesses including cancer over a period of 13 years. Eventually, Helen learned of her husband’s adulterous relationship with another woman. Given that and the constant illnesses she suffered, Helen decided to commit suicide through an overdose of barbiturates.
She wrote a suicide note to Seuss that said “Dear Ted, what has happened to us? I don't know. I feel myself in a spiral, going down down down, into a black hole from which there is no escape, no brightness. And loud in my ears from every side I hear, 'failure, failure, failure... I love you so much ... I am too old and enmeshed in everything you do and are, that I cannot conceive of life without you ... My going will leave quite a rumor but you can say I was overworked and overwrought. Your reputation with your friends and fans will not be harmed ... Sometimes think of the fun we had all thru the years ..."
Dr. Seuss was very distraught at his wife’s suicide in 1967, but he later married the woman he had been cheating on his wife with only one year later!