Cinema legend Gena Rowlands has died at age 94. Rowlands starred in many films throughout her career, but modern audiences will best remember her for starring in The Notebook.
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In an ironic twist of fate, Rowlands passed away on Wednesday following a battle with Alzheimer's disease. Her son and director of The Notebook Nick Cassavetes confirmed her passing through a representative. He had previously revealed his mother was battling the disease. According to Cassavetes, she passed away at her Indian Wells, California home. Her family was by her side.
Following her passing, several The Notebook fans took to social media to mourn her loss. One wrote, "Gina Rowland has died I know the movie The Notebook gets a lot of trash talk but honest to God if you've never seen it, you should."
However, many people used her passing to commemorate several of Rowlands' other films. They celebrated her performances across her career.
'The Notebook' Fans Mourn Gena Rowlands
One wrote, "In June, I was able to see A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE and OPENING NIGHT on a big screen (both first time watches). Gena Rowlands' performances in both of them are just electric. Seeing them on a big screen especially was such a treat."
Another wrote, "She was one of the greatest actresses, with masterpieces like 'A Woman Under the Influence', 'Opening Night', 'Gloria', 'Minnie and Moskowitz/ and many more. Yet, in the end, she was remembered only for a single commercial love story."
Yet another wrote "Hyperbole is part of the deal when artists die but that's ok when it's not really possible to overstate the case. Gena Rowlands was a force of cinema, and in that way, a force for good - in my world, definitely, and probably yours too."
Rowlands' passing comes after her son opened up about her battle with Alzheimer's.
"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," Cassavetes told EW. "She's in full dementia. And it's so crazy — we lived it, she acted it, and now it's on us."
The director also added that he was proud of the movie after all these years.
"It's always a shock to hear that as much time has gone by as it has, but it makes sense. I'm just happy that it exists," he told the outlet. "It seems to have worked. And I'm very proud of it."
