Gena Rowlands dies, aged 94: The Notebook star passes away at her California home – two months after revealing her battle with Alzheimer's disease

Renowned actress Gena Rowlands has passed away at the age of 94.

The two-time Golden Globe winner died Wednesday afternoon at her home in Indian Wells, California, TMZ reported.

She was surrounded by her family, including her husband of 12 years, Robert Forrest, and her eldest daughter, Alexandra Cassavetes (58).

The cause of death has not been revealed at this time.

She is best known for playing the older version of Rachel McAdams' character Ally in her son Nick Cassavetes' popular 2004 film The Notebook, starring Ryan Gosling.

Nick, 65, recently revealed that his mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, just like the heartbreaking character in The Notebook.

She is best known for playing the older version of Ally, played by actress Rachel McAdams in her son Nick Cassavetes' 2004 film The Notebook, starring Ryan Gosling.

He revealed to Entertainment Weekly in June 2024 that Gina had been battling the disease for five years and was now “fully demented.”

Nick said: “We had talked at length about wanting my mum to play the role of older Ally and about Alzheimer's and wanting to portray it authentically, and now for the last five years she's had Alzheimer's.”

“She has full on dementia. It's so crazy. We go through it, she acts it out, and now it's our fault.”

Gina has been active in Hollywood for decades, but her role as an older Allie in The Notebook made the film a timeless love story.

Based on the 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook tells the moving love story of working-class Noah and wealthy Allie, who fall deeply in love despite societal differences.

The film alternates between the unlikely couple's passionate youth and the present, with an elderly Noah disguised as “Duke” reading their stories from a notebook to his wife, Allie (Gena Rowlands), a fellow nursing home resident who now suffers from dementia.

To keep the spark of romance alive and rekindled despite her memory loss, Noah helps Allie remember him by reading to her notebooks she wrote early in her illness, detailing their love story.

In a 2004 interview with O Magazine, Rowlands spoke about how her mother's illness influenced her decision to take on the role of Ally.

The two-time Golden Globe winner passed away on Wednesday afternoon at her home in Indian Wells, Calif., according to a report from TMZ. She was photographed in 2016.

She was surrounded by her family, including her husband of 12 years, Robert Forrest (pictured with Gina in 2006), and her daughter, Alexandra Cassavetes, 58.

“I went through it with my mom. If Nick hadn't directed this movie, I don't think I would have tried it. It was too hard. It was hard, but it was a great movie.”

Looking back on the experience of directing his mother in The Notebook, Nick shared some bittersweet memories with Entertainment Weekly in June.

After showing the finished film to studio executives, they requested reshoots, specifically to convey more emotional intensity in the scene in which Rowlands' character regains her memory and reunites with her boyfriend, Noah (James Garner).

Nick recalled the awkward moment when he told his mother about the reshoots, and she wasn't happy: “Let me be clear: Are they doing reshoots because of my performance?” she said.

“We went in for the reshoot and my mom was upset and she said, 'Mom, can you do it?' and she said, 'I can do anything,'” Roland's son recalled.

“This is true in my father's life. When she looked into his eyes, tears welled up. [Garner]and she started crying. So I thought, OK, well, that's OK… That was the only time I was in trouble on set.”

Nick said he is not only proud of the success of the film, which has cemented its status as a “cult classic” of romance movies for the past two decades, but also looks back fondly on the time he shared with his mother on set.

“I'm always shocked when I hear it's been so long, but it makes sense. I'm just happy it exists,” he said, adding, “It seems to have worked out well and I'm very proud of it.”

Much like the heartbreaking character in The Notebook, Gina's son, Nick Cassavettes, revealed in June 2024 that his mother had been battling Alzheimer's disease for the past five years.

“She's totally demented. It's so crazy. We went through it, she acted it, and now it's our responsibility,” Nick told Entertainment Weekly about his mother's diagnosis. Nick was photographed presenting his mother, Jenna, with an honorary Academy Award in 2015.

Born in Wisconsin, Gina enjoyed a successful career on screen and stage for 70 years before retiring from an illustrious career in 2014 at the age of 84.

Many of her best performances came with her husband, actor-director John Cassavetes, who died in 1989, and she is survived by her three children, Nick, Alexandra and Zoe (54).

The two appeared together in ten films together, most notably A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in both.

Although she missed out on an Oscar, she did win a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her role in A Woman Under the Influence.

She also starred in Woody Allen's film Another Woman (1988), playing Marion Post, a philosophy professor who becomes fascinated with a mentally ill patient named Hope.

In terms of her television work, Gina has won four Emmy Awards and has appeared in a number of highly acclaimed television miniseries and films, notably The Betty Ford Story (1987).

She won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her performance as the former first lady.

Jenna was nominated for her final Primetime Emmy Award in 2009 for her memorable guest role in the American sitcom Monk.

Many of Gina's best performances came in collaboration with her husband, actor and director John Cassavetes, who died in 1989 and is now father to Gina's three children, Nick, Alexandra and Zoe (54).

The two appeared together in a total of ten films, most notably in A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.

In 2015, Jenna was presented with an honorary Oscar by her son Nick after announcing her retirement from acting (pictured).

In 2015, Jenna was presented with an honorary Academy Award by her son Nick after announcing her retirement from acting.

Twenty-three years after the death of her husband, John Cassavetes, in 1989, Gina married retired businessman Robert Forrest.

The two married in 2012 but had been romantically linked since the early 2000s.

Robert has accompanied Jenna to many premieres and events for her projects, including Hysterical Blindness (2002), The Notebook (2004) and The Da Vinci Code (2006).