Gena Rowlands' Widower Robert Forrest Dies Just Weeks After Her Passing

'The Notebook' actress passed away on Aug. 14, just two weeks before her son announced the death of her husband, Robert Forrest.

By Allison Schonter

Robert Forrest, the widower of the late Gena Rowlands, has died. Just weeks after the four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe Award-winning actress's death at the age of 94, her son, film director Nick Cassavetes, revealed that Forrest passed away.

"Rest well, Robert. I couldn't have loved you more if you were my own dad..." Cassavetes captioned a photo of the late Forrest shared to Instagram on Aug. 30. He did not disclose further information, including Forrest's cause of death.

News of his passing was met with messages of condolence, with one person writing, "sending my love, Nick. This must be so hard for you." Somebody else commented, "Man. Lots of transitions.. sending you so much love. I get it, hearts don't like to be separated.. these bodies get in the way sometimes." A third person added, "Im so sorry, sending love and light RIP."

Forrest was the second husband of Rowlands. The pair had been close friends and sparked romance in the '90s following the death of Rowlands' first husband, John Cassavetes, according to The Wall Street Journal, which described Forrest as "Rowlands's trusted and protective companion." After marking their first major appearance together at 1995's Cannes Film Festival and later going on to appear together at other major events, including premieres for Rowlands' films The Notebook and Hysterical Blindness, per Hello!, the couple married in 2012 and remained together until her death on Aug. 15 at 94. Her son confirmed her passing at the time, sharing that his mother passed away peacefully at her home in California from complications of Alzheimer's disease.

Her passing came shortly after Cassavetes revealed that she had been living with Alzheimer's for the past five years, similar to her character in The Notebook. In the 2004 film, Rowlands played an older version of Rachel McAdams' character, Allie. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly in June, Cassavetes reflected on directing his mother in the hit Nicholas Sparks adaptation.

"I got my mom to play older Allie, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer's and wanting to be authentic with it, and now, for the last five years, she's had Alzheimer's," he said. "She's in full dementia. And it's so crazy – we lived it, she acted it, and now it's on us."

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Along with The Notebook, Rowlands was well-known for her frequent collaborations with her late husband, John. The pair collaborated together on 10 films, including A Child Is Waiting, Faces, Machine Gun McCain, Minnie and Moskowitz, and Tempest. Their films A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980) resulted in Rowlands' Oscar nominations for Best Actress.

Along with Cassavetes, Rowlands is survived by her children Joe and Alexandra (Xan), as well as grandchildren.

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