According to PEOPLE, Betty Lou Bredemus, the mother of actress Julia Roberts, passed away yesterday morning (Feb. 19) after a long battle with lung cancer. She was 80 years old.
Bredemus, who once ran an acting school, is survived by her children Julia, actor Eric Roberts and Lisa Gillan. She also had four grandchildren, actress Emma Roberts as well as Julia's three children, Phinnaeus, Hazel and Henry. According to the Daily Mail, she was living at Julia's home in Los Angeles with Julia's husband, Daniel Moder, and their children. Bredemus was reportedly diagnosed with lung cancer in November 2013 after a tumor was found in her lung during a checkup, but the family stayed quiet about it for a few months.
Her death comes just a year after her daughter and Julia's half-sister, Nancy Motes, died at the age of 37 from a drug overdose. The family released a statement at the time, saying, "It is with deep sadness that the family of Nancy Motes … confirms that she was found dead in Los Angeles yesterday of an apparent drug overdose. There is no official report from the Coroner’s office yet. The family is both shocked and devastated.”
Reports say a suicide note was found alongside Motes when her body was discovered. Of the loss, Julia said to the Wall Street Journal, "You don't want anything bad to happen to anyone. But (as with) any situation of challenge and despair, we must find a way, as a family. It's so hard to formulate a sentence about it outside the weepy huddle of my family."
Our thoughts are with Julia and her family during this incredibly difficult time.
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