Angelina Jolie’s aunt dies of breast cancer
US: Angelina Jolie's aunt has lost her battle with breast cancer, it
was reported Sunday, just weeks after the Oscar-winning actress
announced that she had undergone a preventative double mastectomy.
The Hollywood entertainment website E! News cited Jolie's uncle, Ron
Martin, as saying that his wife, Debbie -- the younger sister of Jolie's
late mother -- died early on Sunday at Palomar Hospital in Escondido,
California.
“Angelina has been in touch throughout the week and her brother Jamie
has been with us, giving his support day by day,” Martin was quoted as
saying on E!'s website.
“They both loved Debbie very much and although Angie is not able to
come right now she has sent her love and support which was very nice.”
Jolie, 37, announced earlier this month that she chose to undergo
surgery to minimize the risk she might develop breast cancer due to the
inheritance of a “faulty gene.”
The actress's partner and fellow screen star Brad Pitt led worldwide
praise, declaring Jolie heroic, followed by her doctors, other stars and
thousands of supporters, who took to social media to praise her
openness.
Jolie and Pitt have six children -- three adopted and three
biological. The actress's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian
cancer at the age of 56 and passed on the gene, BRCA1, that put Jolie at
higher risk.
Jolie's doctors estimated she had an 87 percent risk of developing
breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, prompting her to
take action to cut the chances that she might die at a young age.
AFP |