The Notebook star Gena Rowlands dies aged 94 after Alzheimer’s battle 20 years after playing character with disease

THE NOTEBOOK star Gena Rowlands has died at age 94 after a five-year battle with Alzheimer’s.

The actress died on Wednesday surrounded by those closest to her.

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New Line Cinema

Nick Cassavetes, Gena’s director son , announced her Alzheimer’s diagnosis in June.

He was among the family members visiting her home in Indian Wells, California when she died, TMZ reported.

No official cause of death has been announced at this time, but Gena’s son revealed in June that she had been battling Alzheimer’s for five years and was experiencing “full dementia.”

Her character in The Notebook, Allie Hamilton, also suffered from Alzheimer’s.

REMEMBERING GENA

After her death was announced, fans flocked to social media to react.

Popular X account, @FilmUpdates, shared a photo of the actress, along with a message that read, “Gena Rowlands has sadly passed away at the age of 94.”

In the replies, fans sent their condolences.

“Watching the notebook tonight,” one fan wrote.

“Rest in peace!” a second shared.

“Omg no,” a third tweeted.

“This is such sad news RIP,” cried a fourth.

“What a great actress! RIP,” penned a fifth.

“Wow incredible long life,” someone else wrote.

“Not my notebook grandma,” another commenter added.

“She’s in full dementia. Ans it’s so crazy – we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us.

Nick Cassavetes

“This hurts [a] lot…Rest in peace,” an eighth commenter wrote.

GENA’S BATTLE

In June, as the film world marked the 20-year anniversary of The Notebook, Gena’s son opened up about her private health battle.

Nick spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

“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,” he told the outlet.

“She’s in full dementia. Ans it’s so crazy – we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us.”

Gena stepped into the role of older Allie in the 2004 film, portraying her battle with the disease.

Younger Allie was portrayed by Mean Girls star Rachel McAdams.

After the film premiered, Gena revealed that the role was special to her, as her mom also had Alzheimer’s disease.

New Line Cinema

“This last one was particularly hard because I play a character who has Alzheimer’s,” she revealed in an interview with O Magazine .

“I went through that with my mother, and if Nick hadn’t directed the film, I don’t think I would have gone for it – it’s just too hard. It was a tough but wonderful movie.”

GENA’S LEGACY

While Gena is best known to many for playing Allie in The Notebook, she has had many iconic roles.

She had many TV roles in the 1950s and 1960s before making her film debut in The High Cost of Loving in 1958.

She starred in Lonely Are the Brave four years later, appearing opposite Kirk Douglas and Walter Matthau.

Gena and her late first husband, John Cassavetes, also made close to a dozen movies in the 1960s and 1980s.

John died in 1989 and is the father of all three of Gena’s children: Nick, Alexandra, and Zoe.

All three of their children are actors and/or directors.

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