Chris Kyle's Widow Taya Kyle Expresses Gratitude for American Sniper's Box Office Success

Almost two years after Chris Kyle's death, his name is more known than ever. Chris' widow, Taya Kyle took to Facebook on Sunday, Jan. 18, to express her gratitude for the recognition of her late husband.

Millions of people hit movie theaters this past weekend to watch the Oscar-nominated American Sniper, which tells the story of the late Chris' time as a sniper with the U.S. military. The Clint Eastwood-directed film has inspired polarizing reactions and broke a box office record when it brought in an estimated $90.2 million on its opening weekend. 

"I am overwhelmed with gratitude and my heart is full," Taya, 40, wrote on Facebook. "American Sniper has broken records, which follows such an honest path of Chris's life. We never expected anything and were always in a moment of stunned silence at the response from all the beautiful people in this world." 

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Chris is played in American Sniper by the Oscar-nominated Bradley Cooper. The American Hustle actor stars opposite Sienna Miller, who plays Taya. 

"I also just want to cry and cry and honestly have today," Taya continued. "I think that's what happens when I don't have the words. The only thing I can say is thank you. Thank you for the love and support of our military. Thank you for being willing to watch the hard stuff and thank you for hearing, seeing, experiencing the life of our military and first responders. I put them together because the battlefields may be different but the experience is the same on many spiritual levels."

The drama took plot points and action sequences directly from Chris himself, who penned a memoir called American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History in 2012. One year later, in February 2013, Chris was shot and killed at a shooting range in Texas by a former marine, who was reportedly suffering from PTSD.

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"To Chris: I miss you and yet I know you are here," Taya added in her note. "You are the man who I couldn't have even dreamt of because you were/are better than I could have dreamed, the love of my life, my friend, partner and the man who laughed with me through the pain and found joy in the smallest and best parts of life. I hope you see the love and good we will do together in whatever God has planned for the rest of the journey. Thank you for loving me. You are with me and I love you is all I can say. I can only say it simply, because there aren't words enough to express it all." 

Cooper, who has appeared alongside Taya at press events for the film, spoke about the tough role late last year and the connection he felt to the man he played, telling NPR it was "nothing short of life-changing."

"It's just not about me or Clint, or anybody else," he said. "There's all this source material. It's a real human being... So there's a huge responsibility. But I saw it as an honor... I felt like I lived with him for those six months in a very intimate way... he was the first voice I heard every morning and the last voice I heard going to bed... I showed up that first day and I did feel him. And we all felt him the whole time we were shooting the movie." 

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Chris Kyle's Widow Taya Kyle Expresses Gratitude for American Sniper's Box Office Success