Gena Rowlands,greatest identified for her function as the longer term model of Allie Hamilton in The Pocket book, has died. She was 94 years outdated. The information comes two months after her son, director Nick Cassavetes, revealed that she had been residing with Alzheimer’s Illness for a number of years — just like her movie character.

In accordance with TMZ, Gena died at dwelling in Indian Wells, California, on Wednesday, August 14. She was surrounded by her family members, together with second husband Robert Forrest and daughter Alexandra Cassavetes, the outlet reported.

Gena, a Wisconsin native, started her appearing profession within the late Nineteen Forties. All through the Fifties, she carried out on Broadway, together with in The Seven 12 months Itch and Center of the Night time. She finally landed a number of gigs on tv, starring reverse her first husband, John Cassavetes, within the sequence Johnny Staccato. The spouses — who had been married from 1954 till he died in 1989 — starred in 10 films collectively. Over the subsequent few many years, Gena discovered extra work on display in numerous movies and TV reveals. Her final challenge, Six Dance Classes in Six Weeks, was launched in 2014.

After retiring from appearing, Gena was recognized with Alzheimer’s Illness, Nick revealed earlier this yr. Throughout an interview with Leisure Weekly, the filmmaker recalled casting his mom to play the older model of Allie in The Pocket book, which got here out in 2004.

“I obtained my mother to play older Allie, and we spent a whole lot of time speaking about Alzheimer’s and eager to be genuine with it, and now, for the final 5 years, she’s had Alzheimer’s,” Nick advised the publication in June. “She’s in full dementia. And it’s so loopy — we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us.”

Regardless that they maintained professionalism on set, Nick recalled on second when his mother was “pissed” at him.

“We go to reshoots, and now it’s a type of issues the place mama’s pissed, and I had requested her, ‘Are you able to do it, mother?’ She goes, ‘I can do something,’” he recalled. “I promise you, on my father’s life, that is true: Teardrops got here flying out of her eyes when she noticed [co-star James Garner], and he or she burst into tears.”

After Nick’s revelation made headlines, The Pocket book creator Nicholas Sparks despatched his greatest needs to Gena and her household in an Instagram tribute.

“Alzheimer’s is such a merciless illness,” the novelist captioned his submit in June. “On days like in the present day, I’m reminded of Gena’s highly effective portrayal of Allie and the depth she delivered to the character. Her efficiency touched hundreds of thousands of hearts and helped deliver my story to life in methods I by no means imagined. … I’ll at all times cherish her legacy in movie and her influence on The Pocket book.”