We have some sad news about Gena Rowlands, the beloved actress from “The Notebook.” She has passed away at the age of 94.
Gena’s final moments were spent comfortably at home in Indian Wells, California, surrounded by her family. While the cause of her passing hasn’t been shared, she had been living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Among her most cherished roles was portraying Allie in “The Notebook.” In this heartfelt movie, she took on the part of the older Allie, who, like Gena in her later years, was dealing with Alzheimer’s. Rachel McAdams played the role of the younger Allie, bringing to life the earlier days of the character.
Not too long ago, Nick Cassavetes talked to Entertainment Weekly about the upcoming 20th anniversary of “The Notebook.” This romantic drama unfolds through an elderly man named Duke, who reads a touching story to Allie, a fellow resident of a nursing home. The tale he narrates captures the summer romance between Noah and Allie back in the 1940s.
Reflecting on the film, Cassavetes shared, “I cast my mom as older Allie, and we put in a lot of effort to authentically portray Alzheimer’s. Sadly, in these last five years, she too has been living with Alzheimer’s, now fully immersed in dementia. It’s a strange twist — she portrayed it, and then we experienced it firsthand.”
