According to People, Mary Lee South, the mother of Tom Cruise, has passed away at 80.
The publication has revealed that Mary died peacefully in her sleep last week and was given a memorial service at Tom’s local Church of Scientology this past weekend.
Reports suggest that Tom and his sisters, Lee Ann DeVette, 57, Cass Mapother, 55, and Marian Henry, 52, were all in attendance.
It has previously been reported that Mary had suffered from a variety of unnamed health issues.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Mary was a special-education teacher at the time of her marriage to Tom’s father, Thomas Cruise Mapother III, an electrical engineer.
However, after a tumultuous marriage, the pair filed to end their marriage in 1974.
In 2006, The Mission: Impossible star described his father as “a bully.”
Tom has continually credited his mother for supporting and driving his passion for acting.
Speaking with Rolling Stones magazine in 1986, Mary revealed that she too took an interest in acting but failed to pursue the blossoming passion.
She said, “I was always interested in theatre, but I never did anything with it,” adding, “When I was growing up, if you went to Hollywood, that was really risqué.”
This is perhaps what spurred Mary to encourage Tom’s participation in a local theatre groups.
She recalled that Tom “had it in him then” but admitted that it wasn’t until her son appeared in a high school production of Guys and Dolls that she truly realised how talented he was.
“I can’t describe the feeling that was there. It was just an incredible experience to see what we felt was a lot of talent coming forth all of a sudden,” she said.
“It had been dormant for so many years—not thought of or talked about or discussed in any way. Then to see him on that stage…”
Our thoughts are with Mary’s family and friends during this difficult time.
