Gena Rowlands,best known for her role as the future version of Allie Hamilton in The Notebook, has died. She was 94 years old. The news comes two months after her son, director Nick Cassavetes, revealed that she had been living with Alzheimer’s Disease for several years — similar to her film character.
According to TMZ, Gena died at home in Indian Wells, California, on Wednesday, August 14. She was surrounded by her loved ones, including second husband Robert Forrest and daughter Alexandra Cassavetes, the outlet reported.
Gena, a Wisconsin native, began her acting career in the late 1940s. Throughout the 1950s, she performed on Broadway, including in The Seven Year Itch and Middle of the Night. She eventually landed several gigs on television, starring opposite her first husband, John Cassavetes, in the series Johnny Staccato. The spouses — who were married from 1954 until he died in 1989 — starred in 10 movies together. Over the next few decades, Gena found more work on screen in countless films and TV shows. Her last project, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, was released in 2014.
After retiring from acting, Gena was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, Nick revealed earlier this year. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the filmmaker recalled casting his mother to play the older version of Allie in The Notebook, which came out in 2004.
“I got my mom to play older Allie, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer’s and wanting to be authentic with it, and now, for the last five years, she’s had Alzheimer’s,” Nick told the publication in June. “She’s in full dementia. And it’s so crazy — we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us.”
Even though they maintained professionalism on set, Nick recalled on moment when his mom was “pissed” at him.
“We go to reshoots, and now it’s one of those things where mama’s pissed, and I had asked her, ‘Can you do it, mom?’ She goes, ‘I can do anything,’” he recalled. “I promise you, on my father’s life, this is true: Teardrops came flying out of her eyes when she saw [co-star James Garner], and she burst into tears.”
After Nick’s revelation made headlines, The Notebook author Nicholas Sparks sent his best wishes to Gena and her family in an Instagram tribute.
“Alzheimer’s is such a cruel disease,” the novelist captioned his post in June. “On days like today, I’m reminded of Gena’s powerful portrayal of Allie and the depth she brought to the character. Her performance touched millions of hearts and helped bring my story to life in ways I never imagined. … I will always cherish her legacy in film and her impact on The Notebook.”