Tom Cruise’s mother, Mary Lee South, has passed away at the age of 80.
A source says South died in her sleep last week, and the family held a memorial at her local Church of Scientology over the weekend. In addition to Cruise, his sisters, Lee Ann DeVette, Cass Mapother, and Marian Henry, were in attendance.
Cruise shared a close relationship with his mother, and she is said to have greatly influenced his interest in acting. It was at her urging that a young Cruise, whose promising wrestling career ended in injury, auditioned for his first high school production, Guys and Dolls.
South had suffered from health issues for the past several years.
Image via Flickr/gageskidmore
