Gena Rowlands, Star of ‘The Notebook’, Dies at 94

Oscar-nominated actress Gena Rowlands, whose film career spanned nearly seven decades, has died aged 94.

The news was confirmed by the office of agent Danny Greenberg, who represents Rowlands’ son, Nick Cassavetes. No other details were provided.

Rowlands was known both for her early independent film work alongside her first husband, director John Cassavetes, and for crowd-pleasing titles later in her career, including 1998’s “Hope Floats” opposite Sandra Bullock and the 2004 hit “The Notebook.”

She was nominated for two Oscars, for 1974’s “A Woman Under the Influence” and 1980’s “Gloria” — both directed by John Cassavetes.

The actress also received an honorary Oscar in 2015, alongside director Spike Lee, in recognition of “extraordinary lifetime achievement” in film, according to the Academy’s website.

Rowlands had been living with Alzheimer’s for the past five years, Nick Cassavetes revealed in a June conversation with Entertainment Weekly.

The son reflected on his mother’s portrayal in the film “The Notebook” while the character he played was also battling Alzheimer’s.

“I had my mom play the older Allie, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer’s and wanting to be authentic with that, and now, for the last five years, she’s had Alzheimer’s,” Cassavetes told the publication.

“She’s in full-blown dementia. And it’s so crazy — we lived through it, she acted out, and now it’s on us,” he added.