At the age of 80, the 'Mission: Impossible' hunk's mom died peacefully in her sleep last week after battling health issues in recent years.
- Feb 14, 2017
AceShowbiz - Tom Cruise is currently mourning the loss of his mother, Mary Lee South, who died at the age of 80. According to a new report from PEOPLE, South died peacefully in her sleep last week after battling health issues in recent years.
South was given a memorial service at her local Church of Scientology over the weekend. According to the publication, Cruise attended the memorial along with his three sisters, Lee Ann DeVette, 57, Cass Mapother, 55, and Marian Henry, 52, as well as other family and friends.
South, who split from Tom's father, Thomas Cruise Mapother III, in 1974, was using a walker and looked thinner than usual when she was last seen in Clearwater, Florida in May 2016. She also appeared to have oxygen tubes attached to her. Prior to that, she had not been seen since 2010.
Cruise, who joined his mom moved to New Jersey when he was 16 after she got married to John "Jack" South in 1978, had a close relationship with his mom as she often attended his premieres. The 54-year-old actor developed his passion for acting from his mom, who was a special-education teacher.
The "Mission: Impossible" hunk said many years ago how he had an interest in theater growing up, but never did anything about it. His mom then encouraged him to try out for a high school production of "Guys and Dolls" after he was sidelined from his wrestling career due to a knee injury.
