The Notebook star Gena Rowlands dead at 94

A Hollywood legend whose later years sadly mirrored those of her character in The Notebook has died at the age of 94.

Hollywood veteran Gena Rowlands has died at the age of 94 following a lengthy battle with dementia.

TMZ reports that Rowlands died on Wednesday afternoon at her home in Indian Wells, California, surrounded by family including her husband Robert and daughter Alexandra Cassavetes. Her son, filmmaker Nick Cassavetes, had also reportedly made frequent visits with his mother in the days leading to her death.

No cause of death has been publicly released.

June marked the 20th anniversary of one of Rowlands’ final big films before she retired, the 2004 romantic drama The Notebook, starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. Her son Nick, who directed the film, made a sad announcement about his mother in an interview to mark the anniversary.

Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams played young lovers in The Notebook … Picture: New Line/Everett Collection

… while Rowlands and James Garner played them years later.

He revealed that Rowlands, who played an older version of Rachel McAdam’s character, Allie, in the film, had been living with Alzheimer’s disease for the past five years.

“I got my mum 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 of Rowlands’ character, who also had dementia. “She’s in full dementia. And it’s so crazy — we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us.”

With Sean Connery in the 1999 film Playing By Heart.

Gena’s mother, fellow actress Lady Rowlands, had also suffered from the same disease.

While The Notebook was Rowlands’ most notable 21st century role, the acting veteran got her start back in the 1950s and earned two Academy Award nominations and multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award wins throughout her career.

She was known for her frequent collaborations with actor-director husband John Cassavetes in ten films, including 1974’s A Woman Under the Influence and 1980s Gloria.

Rowlands is survived by second husband Robert Forrest, who she wed in 2012, and her three children with first husband John – Nick, Alexandra and Zoe Cassavetes.