‘The Notebook’ Director Nick Cassavetes Posts Touching Tribute to Late Mom Gena Rowlands: ‘Love You’

Gena Rowlands ’ son Nick Cassavetes shared a heartfelt tribute to his late mom following her death at the age 94.

The Notebook director, 65, posted a throwback photo via Instagram on Thursday, August 15 which shows the mother-and-son duo smiling together.

“One last hurrah. Love you, Mom. See you soon…” Cassavetes captioned the shot.

Rowlands died at her home in Indian Wells, California on Wednesday, August 14, surrounded by family and friends. No cause of death has been announced, but Rowlands had been battling Alzheimer’s disease.

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Cassavetes’ daughter, Sasha, praised her grandmother as she commented on her dad’s sentimental post.

“Love you so much dad. She was the greatest.” she wrote.

Others flooded the comments section with words of support, with one follower writing, “Love you Nick, so sorry for your loss.”

Another added, “The world was made better for all of us with your mom in it.”

A further follower sent love and condolences while complimenting Rowlands’ acting skills,  commenting, “Sending love to you and your family. Your mom was one of the best to ever do it.”

Rowlands was an honorary Oscar recipient and also received two Academy Award nominations. The acclaimed actress teamed up with Cassavetes in 2004 to play the older version of Allie in The Notebook — one of her most famous roles.

In the romance film, Rowlands’ character grapples with Alzheimer’s, a condition she would later endure herself.

“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 Entertainment Weekly in June 2024.  “She’s in full dementia. And it’s so crazy — we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us.”

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Rowlands also had previous experience with seeing the effects of the disease firsthand, as it was something her mother also went through.

The actress almost turned down the part in The Notebook because of her mom's condition, and was only convinced to sign up due to her son’s connection to the movie.

“This last one — T he Notebook , based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks — was particularly hard because I play a character who has Alzheimer’s,” Rowlands told O magazine in 2004.  “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.”