Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg speaks publicly about her husband's death for first time in moving speech

'I was swallowed up in the deep fog of grief - what I think of as the void - an emptiness that fills your heart and your lungs,' says Sandberg

Speaking to graduates, Sandberg explained that she was keen to relay the poignant wisdom she had learned through the death of her husband

Sheryl Sandberg has spoken publicly about “the deep fog of grief” she experienced after her husband’s death for the first time.

Addressing Berkley graduates in an emotionally charged speech on Saturday, Facebook’s chief operating officer explained that while she had been overwhelmed by grief there had also been moments of joy.

“One year and thirteen days ago I lost my husband Dave,” the 46-year-old technology executive, author and activist began. “The death was sudden and unexpected”.

Her husband, Dave Goldberg, the CEO of SurveyMonkey, died of a heart condition in May 2015.

“For many months afterward, and at many times since, I was swallowed up in the deep fog of grief - what I think of as the void - an emptiness that fills your heart and your lungs, constricts your ability to think or even to breathe,” Sandberg said.

“Dave’s death changed me in very profound ways,” she continued. “I learned about the depths of sadness and the brutality of loss. But I also learned that when life sucks you under, you can kick against the bottom, break the surface, and breathe again.”

“I learned that in the face of the void—or in the face of any challenge—you can choose joy and meaning.”

Speaking to graduates, Sandberg explained that she was keen to relay the wisdom she had learned through the death of her husband. “I’m not going to tell you what I learned in life, today I’m going to try to tell you what I learned in death".