Tom Cruise's Mom, Mary Lee South, Has Died

Tom Cruise's mom, Mary Lee South, has passed away at the age of 80, People reports. Mary died in her sleep last week after battling health issues in recent years and was given a memorial service at her local Church of Scientology over the weekend. Several of her family members and friends attended the service along with Tom and his sisters, Lee Ann DeVette, Cass Mapother, and Marian Henry.

Mary was a special-education teacher, and it was from her that Tom developed his passion for acting. The two were incredibly close, and back in 1986, Mary opened up about her son's success to Rolling Stone magazine, saying that she and her second husband both "wholeheartedly agreed" that Tom could be an actor "because we both felt it was a God-given talent." Our thoughts are with Tom and his family.