BREAKING NEWS'The Notebook' Star Gena Rowlands Dead at 94 After Dementia Battle
'The Notebook' star Gena Rowlands has died at 94 years old.
Aug. 14 2024, Published 8:13 p.m. ET
Gena Rowlands, who played Allie in The Notebook, has died at 94 years old, an outlet reported on Wednesday, August 14.
According to TMZ, the actress passed away at her home in Indian Wells, Calif., where she was "surrounded by family, including her husband, Robert, and her daughter Alexandra Cassavetes."
The outlet reported that her son, Nick Cassavetes, was at her home a lot this past week.
Gena Rowlands, who played Allie in 'The Notebook,' has died at 94 years old.
As OK! previously reported, Nick, who directed the film, confirmed that his mom had dementia — the same disease that her character in the movie dealt with.
The actress' son directed her in the film.
"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 shared earlier this year.
"She's in full dementia," he added. "And it's so crazy — we lived it, she acted it, and now it's on us."
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The star's son confirmed she had dementia — the same disease her character battled.
In 2004, Gena previously explained that she had experience with the disease due to her own mom's fight against dementia.
"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," she told O Magazine. "It's just too hard. It was a tough but wonderful movie."
Gena Rowlands was surrounded by loved ones before her death.
Nick previously shared what it was like to work alongside his mom while filming The Notebook. The one scene they had to redo included where Allie remembers who she is and sees an older Noah, played by James Garner.
"She said, 'Let me get this straight. We're reshooting because of my performance?'" the director shared. "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.'"
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"I promise you, on my father's life, this is true," he continued. "Teardrops came flying out of her eyes when she saw [Garner], and she burst into tears. And I was like, okay, well, we got that... It's the one time I was in trouble on set."
