It's a sad day for Tom Cruise and his family. According to People, the Mission: Impossible actor's mother, Mary Lee South, has died. She was given a memorial service at her local Church of Scientology, a controversial organization of which her son is one of the most famous members. South was 80, and reportedly had suffered from health issues prior to her death.
According to People, we can thank South and her ex-husband and Cruise's former stepfather John South for Cruise's celebrity status. South and her then-husband had reportedly encouraged Cruise to pursue acting. When Cruise was unable to wrestle in high school due to an injury, it was South, a former special education teacher, who encouraged her son to try out for the school play.
She told Rolling Stone that she had been interested in theater for years, but had never pursued acting herself. Instead, it was her son who picked up and moved to Hollywood.
Cruise, who is reportedly close to his siblings, attended the memorial service alongside sisters Lee Ann DeVette, Cass Mapother, and Marian Henry. Other family members and friends were also in attendance.
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