Leanne Kaun, later known as Leanne Knight Goggins, was a Canadian entrepreneur and animal lover who became known as the first wife of acclaimed actor Walton Goggins. Born in 1967 in New Brunswick, Canada, she built a successful dog-walking business in Los Angeles before her tragic death in 2004 at age 37.
Quick Facts About Leanne Kaun
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Birth Name | Leanne Kaun |
| Also Known As | Leanne Knight Goggins |
| Date of Birth | March 19, 1967 |
| Birthplace | New Brunswick, Canada |
| Date of Death | November 12, 2004 |
| Age at Death | 37 years |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Profession | Dog Trainer & Business Owner |
| Business Name | Canyon Dog Walking |
| Parents | Robert Brian “Bob” Knight & Peggy Kaun |
| Stepfather | Arnold Kaun |
| Siblings | Jay (brother, lives in Australia) |
| Spouse | Walton Goggins (married 2001-2004) |
| Final Resting Place | Rocky View Garden of Peace Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
Who Was Leanne Kaun?
Leanne Kaun was a Canadian-born entrepreneur who owned one of the largest pet care businesses in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles. She was born in 1967 in New Brunswick, Canada, to Robert Brian Knight and Peggy Kaun. She became publicly known through her marriage to actor Walton Goggins, who stars in hit shows like Justified, The Shield, and The White Lotus.
Unlike many people connected to Hollywood celebrities, Leanne built her own successful career centered around her deep love for animals. She ran Canyon Dog Walking, a thriving business in Laurel Canyon that served numerous high-profile clients in the entertainment industry.
Early Life and Health Challenges
Leanne was born with a condition called jaundice, which causes a yellowish tint to the skin and the whites of the eyes. This triggered a viral disease that affected her throughout her childhood. The health condition created significant challenges during her early years.
Due to her condition, doctors placed her on a strict diet to help manage recurring infections. The ongoing health issues affected her family’s finances and caused her to miss school several times during her childhood. Despite these obstacles, Leanne showed remarkable determination and completed both her elementary and high school education.
Her biological father, Robert Brian Knight, died on March 26, 2016 at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in New Brunswick, Canada. After her parents divorced, Leanne’s mother Peggy married Arnold Kaun, who became her stepfather. Peggy raised her children in a Christian household, and Leanne grew up with strong family values.
Education and Career Path
After completing high school despite her health setbacks, Leanne pursued higher education. She eventually earned a degree and took courses in pet training, following her lifelong passion for animals. Even though her childhood health problems prevented her from owning pets during those years, her love for animals never wavered.
As her health improved with age, Leanne was able to turn her passion into a thriving career. She moved to Los Angeles and established herself as a professional dog trainer and dog walker in one of the city’s most upscale neighborhoods.
Building Canyon Dog Walking Business
Leanne established a successful dog-walking business in the Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Hollywood Hills, which grew into one of the largest pet care firms in the area. Her business, Canyon Dog Walking, attracted numerous clients, including Liberty, the official mascot of Canyon News.
Her business became well-known in the entertainment community. Leanne was Canyon News’ first advertiser and a professional dog trainer. She built a reputation for her compassionate care, reliability, and genuine connection with the animals she worked with.
The success of Canyon Dog Walking showed Leanne’s entrepreneurial spirit and her ability to turn her passion into a profitable business. She worked with many high-profile clients in Hollywood, building trust through her dedication and expertise in animal care.
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Meeting and Marrying Walton Goggins
Leanne met actor Walton Goggins in 2000. The two began dating shortly afterwards and quickly fell in love. They got married in 2001, soon after Walton completed filming Shanghai Noon. Their connection was immediate, and their relationship moved quickly from dating to marriage.
Following their marriage, Leanne moved to Los Angeles to live with him. At this time, Walton’s acting career was beginning to gain momentum. He was working on various television projects and starting to build the reputation that would later make him famous.
The couple appeared happy in the early years of their marriage. Walton often spoke admiringly of Leanne’s warmth, kindness, and passion for her work. They seemed to complement each other—Leanne with her grounded approach to life and love of animals, and Walton with his creativity and rising Hollywood career.
Challenges in the Marriage
After three years together, the couple began facing challenges. Their relationship became strained by frequent conflicts and misunderstandings. Reports suggest that Walton’s demanding work schedule caused tension in the marriage, leaving Leanne unhappy.
The demands of Hollywood life took a toll on their relationship. As Walton’s career progressed with roles in shows like The Shield, his schedule became increasingly hectic. This left Leanne feeling isolated and disconnected from the life she once knew in Canada.
She was also said to be dissatisfied with life in Los Angeles and wished to return to Canada, her home country. The bustling Hollywood lifestyle didn’t align with Leanne’s preference for a quieter, more peaceful existence. She missed her family, her roots, and the simpler life she had known before moving to California.
Eventually, the situation worsened, and the two separated. However, they did not finalize a divorce, as Leanne passed away before the process could be completed. The couple’s separation was difficult for both of them, and their relationship remained unresolved at the time of Leanne’s death.
Struggling With Mental Health
Behind Leanne’s warm smile and compassionate work with animals, she battled with chronic depression. Her mental health struggles became increasingly severe during her time in Los Angeles. The combination of marital problems, isolation from her home country, and her ongoing health challenges created a perfect storm of emotional difficulties.
Leanne’s depression was a private battle that many people around her didn’t fully understand. She felt isolated in Los Angeles, far from the support system she had in Canada. The city’s fast-paced lifestyle and the pressures of being connected to Hollywood added to her emotional burden.
Living in Los Angeles, away from her native Canada, increased her feelings of loneliness. The chronic pain from her medical conditions, combined with her mental health challenges, made daily life increasingly difficult. These factors created a situation where Leanne felt overwhelmed and unable to find a way forward.
The Tragic Death of Leanne Kaun
Leanne’s life tragically ended on Friday, November 12, 2004, at 4 p.m. She was just 37 years old. She died after falling from the 17th floor of a building in Los Angeles, a tragic event later determined to be a suicide. She had been struggling with chronic depression, a factor that likely contributed to her decision.
Her death occurred shortly after she had reportedly handed Walton divorce papers, signaling the end of their marriage. The timing of her death shocked everyone who knew her and left many unanswered questions about what she was experiencing in her final days.
She is survived by her ex-husband, Actor Walton Goggins, who she married in 2001. She is also survived by her mother, Peggy, and step father, Arnold Kaun of Calgary, Alberta, her brother, Jay, of Australia, and many other family and friends.
The loss devastated Walton and everyone who knew Leanne. Her death brought attention to the silent struggles many people face with depression and mental health issues, even when they appear successful and happy on the outside.
Memorial Service and Final Resting Place
Leanne’s memorial service was held on Friday, 19 November 2004, at 2.00 p.m. at Hollywood Funeral Home, 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard. The service was a private affair attended by close family and friends who gathered to remember Leanne’s life and the joy she brought to those around her.
According to an obituary of Leanne Goggins on Find a Grave, she was laid to rest at the Rocky View Garden of Peace Cemetery in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Her family chose to bury her in her home country of Canada, bringing her back to her roots and the place where she spent her childhood.
How Walton Goggins Coped With Loss
The death of his first wife had a profound impact on Walton Goggins. In a 2025 interview with Vulture, actor Walton Goggins spoke about the impact of his first wife’s death. He said, “I spent the next three years looking for an excuse – not to end it, but certainly putting myself in situations that were questionable, not with drugs or anything like that, just life experiences and traveling. I really went all over the world”.
In the years following her death, Goggins traveled the world seeking solace – visiting India, Cambodia, Vietnam, and, most meaningfully, Thailand. These travels helped him process his grief and find a path forward after such a devastating loss.
“I had someone in my life that committed suicide,” Walton said quietly during a February interview with GQ, “and she was my wife”. He has been open about the emotional toll Leanne’s death took on him and how it shaped his perspective on life and relationships.
In a 2019 interview, Walton opened up on how her first wife’s death affected him. He said, “I drifted for upwards of three years after that. It took me a really long time to come back from it, … If it weren’t for the people in my life that cared about me, that stepped in and helped me understand that life goes on, I don’t know what would have happened”.
The White Lotus Connection
In 2025, Walton starred in season three of The White Lotus, set in Thailand. Goggins said the experience of filming the series in the same places he’d once wandered in grief was surreal. “I realised, ‘I’ve been on this road before,'” he said.
20 years later, Walton wound up back in Thailand to shoot The White Lotus and realized that several of the locations were familiar. On the last night of shooting, he even recognized a hotel that he stayed in all those years ago. “All of the equipment was literally right in front of the hotel that I’d picked 20 years ago on the internet,” he recalled.
His character Rick in the show deals with loss and grief, themes that resonated deeply with Walton’s own experiences. The opportunity to film in Thailand brought back memories of his healing journey after Leanne’s death.
Walton’s New Life and Family
In 2011, he married filmmaker Nadia Conners, with whom he has a son named Augustus. Walton met Nadia in 2005, not long after Leanne’s death, and they built a strong relationship based on mutual respect and shared creative passions.
Walton has credited the support of friends and family for helping him navigate the difficult period following her passing. His ability to rebuild his life and find happiness again shows the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of support systems during difficult times.
Augustus was born in February 2011, just months before Walton and Nadia got married in August 2011. The couple now lives in upstate New York, where they’ve created a peaceful life away from the pressures of Hollywood.
Leanne Kaun’s Legacy
Leanne’s legacy lives on through the people whose lives she touched. Her dedication to animal welfare inspired many clients and friends to become better pet owners and advocates for animal care. The Canyon Dog Walking business she built showed her entrepreneurial spirit and her ability to turn passion into success.
Her story serves as an important reminder about mental health awareness. Depression doesn’t discriminate—it can affect anyone, regardless of their success, relationships, or outward appearance of happiness. Leanne appeared to have a successful business, a marriage to a rising Hollywood star, and a bright future, yet she struggled privately with demons few people understood.
The importance of checking on loved ones, creating safe spaces for honest conversations about mental health, and recognizing warning signs cannot be overstated. Leanne’s death highlights the need for better mental health support systems and the removal of stigma surrounding depression and other mental health conditions.
Lessons From Leanne’s Story
Leanne Kaun’s life teaches us several important lessons. First, success in one area of life doesn’t shield anyone from mental health struggles. Her thriving business and connections in Hollywood didn’t protect her from depression.
Second, the importance of staying connected to support systems matters tremendously. Leanne’s distance from her family in Canada and her isolation in Los Angeles contributed to her feelings of loneliness and despair.
Third, we need to create environments where people feel safe discussing mental health without fear of judgment. If Leanne had felt more comfortable reaching out for help, her story might have had a different ending.
Finally, her story reminds us to check on the people in our lives—especially those who seem strong and successful on the outside. The brightest smiles sometimes hide the deepest pain.
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Mental Health Resources
If you or someone you know struggles with depression or suicidal thoughts, help is available:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (US): 988 or 1-800-273-8255
- Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566
- International Association for Suicide Prevention: https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
Remember that reaching out for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Mental health professionals can provide support, tools, and treatment options that make a real difference.
Frequently Asked Questions About Leanne Kaun
Who was Leanne Kaun?
Leanne Kaun, also known as Leanne Knight Goggins, was a Canadian entrepreneur and dog trainer who owned Canyon Dog Walking, a successful pet care business in Los Angeles. She was born in 1967 in New Brunswick, Canada, and became known as the first wife of actor Walton Goggins before her tragic death in 2004.
How did Leanne Kaun meet Walton Goggins?
Leanne met Walton Goggins in 2000, and the couple began dating shortly after. They fell in love quickly and married in 2001, soon after Walton finished filming Shanghai Noon in Canada. Leanne then moved to Los Angeles to live with Walton as his acting career was beginning to take off.
What happened to Leanne Kaun?
Leanne Kaun died by suicide on November 12, 2004, at age 37. She jumped from the 17th floor of a building in Los Angeles and died from her injuries. She had been struggling with chronic depression, and her death occurred shortly after she reportedly gave Walton divorce papers, as their marriage had been facing significant challenges.
What was Leanne Kaun’s business?
Leanne owned and operated Canyon Dog Walking, one of the largest dog-walking and pet care businesses in the Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Hollywood Hills. She was a professional dog trainer who built a successful enterprise serving high-profile clients in the entertainment industry. Her notable clients included Liberty, the official mascot of Canyon News.
Where is Leanne Kaun buried?
Leanne Kaun is buried at the Rocky View Garden of Peace Cemetery in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Her memorial service was held on November 19, 2004, at Hollywood Funeral Home in Los Angeles. Her family chose to lay her to rest in her home country of Canada, where she was born and raised.
