Mary Kay Letourneau Reportedly ‘Made Peace With Vili,’ First Husband, Before She Died

Before her death, Mary Kay Letourneau reportedly “made peace” with Vili Fualaau, as well as her first husband. On July 7, Letourneau died after a short battle with stage 4 cancer, and a source close to her recently told PEOPLE that she left nothing unsaid. “When it was clear that she wasn’t going to make it, she made her peace with everyone in her life,” a source shared. “She died having made peace with Vili, Steve [Letourneau, her first husband], and all six of her kids. Everyone said everything that needed to be said.”

Born Mary Katherine Schmitz, Letourneau met her first husband, Steve Letourneau, while attending Arizona State University. The two married and went on to have four children together. In 1996, a then-34 Letourneau initiated a sexual relationship with then-13 Fualaau. She got pregnant with two children by the teen and was eventually convicted child rape. She was sentenced to prison time twice, with the second begin from 1998 to 2004. Letourneau divorced Steve in 1999, and he as awarded custody of the four children they shared together. She married Fualaau in 2005. In 2017, Steve told the PEOPLE that he had “moved on” from his relationship with Letourneau.

Following the death of their family’s matriarch, the Fualaaus and Letourneaus issued a joint statement. “Mary fought tirelessly against this terrible disease,” the families’ statement added. “Mary, and all of us, found great strength in having our immediate and extended family members together to join her in this arduous struggle. We did our very best to care for Mary and one another as we kept her close and stayed close together.” The statement went on to read, “We are endlessly grateful for the care and kindness received from the amazing professionals involved in Mary’s care. “Likewise, the kindness and compassion of friends and others who learned of her condition along the way proved an uplifting gift to us all.”

The families added: “It is in that spirit that we ask for privacy and respect for our desire to focus on the road ahead for all of us who make up Mary’s collective family. We ask that our boundaries and need for privacy be honored with continued kindness and understanding.” The statement concluded through the families explaining how they plan to “celebrate and honor the wishes of our wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, beloved family member and loyal friend and concentrate on caring for one another.” Letourneau was 58 years old at the time of her death.