Jennifer Aniston lost her mother this week. Much like Angelina Jolie and her mostly estranged relationship with her father, Jennifer Aniston has also had parental issues for years. When Jennifer first got really famous with Friends, her mother Nancy Dow wrote a book about her and basically tried to get famous off of her daughter’s success. Aniston cut off contact with her mom for years, but they eventually, tenuously reconnected.
If you read the tabloids, you might have read that Nancy has not been doing well in the past few years. She was in and out of hospitals and hospices, and the tabloids always made a big deal about how Jennifer “abandoned” her sick mother. Then In Touch Weekly sent out a story yesterday about how Jennifer finally visited her mom on May 12, and it was the first time they saw each other in “nearly five years.” Sources claimed that Jennifer “wanted to see her mother one last time before she passes” and that “Jen’s already said her goodbyes.” Well, it was confirmed just hours after that story came out that Nancy Dow had passed.
Jennifer Aniston has announced the death of her mother, Nancy Dow.
“It is with great sadness that my brother John and I announce the passing of our Mother Nancy Dow. She was 79 years old and passed peacefully surrounded by family and friends after enduring a long illness,” Aniston, 47, tells PEOPLE in a statement. “We ask that our family’s privacy be respected as we grieve our loss.”
Dow suffered a stroke in 2011 followed by a second stroke a year later, according to multiple reports. The mother of two was married to Jack Melick from 1956 -1961 and soap star John Aniston from 1965-1980. Jennifer’s parents divorced when she was 9 years old.
“No matter how complicated and difficult the relationship between Nancy and Jennifer may have been, it is heartbreaking for any daughter to lose her mother,” a source close to the family tells PEOPLE. “Nancy fought a very long battle, with many ups and downs, and Jennifer is grateful for the happy times they shared. She is pulling close to her husband and family and feels so supported by their love.”
I kind of doubt that Jennifer was there when her mom passed, which is none of my business and besides, I totally understand that there was a long-standing rift between them. I would imagine that Jennifer is feeling lots of emotions and I hope she gives herself some time to reflect and mourn. Our thoughts go out to her at this difficult time.
Jennifer Aniston's mother Nancy Dow has passed away at age 79: https://t.co/5HRMaitfUo pic.twitter.com/Hv15sNzikP
— E! News (@enews) May 26, 2016
Photos courtesy of WENN.
She must be feeling badly on many levels. Difficult time for her. 🙁
+1 I wouldn’t have anything to do with a mother who wrote a tell-all book about me either, but it must be extra complicated emotionally when that mom passes away.
Did she write a Tell all book about her? or did she write a book about her life and talked about her daughter. I don’t think the book was all about Aniston at all. I think she told some stories and said that JA wasn’t beautiful. If there were more “Tell all” things in the book I would imagine those would have been printed after all these year.
Parent relationships are complicated. RIP Ms. Dow
@lisa2: ok, now ask yourself this… If she hadn’t been Jennifer Aniston’s mother, would anyone have even published her book? If she hadn’t divulged things about her famous daughter, would it have ever seen the light of day? If I were Jen A, I’d consider that a huge betrayal too.
@lisa2…From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir is the title of the book. It wasn’t a book about Nancy Dow, it was a book about Jennifer Aniston.
Take a look at the cover of the book and tell me it’s about Nancy and not Jennifer.
Yes, complicated indeed. My husband is estranged from his mom. I think on the surface it might seems that he’s uncaring or selfish but that’s so far from the truth and when she dies I know he’ll feel terrible, maybe even more terrible than if they hadn’t been estranged. Wishing her and the family peace.
@lisa2 again the title of book: From Mother and Daughter to Friends. The book is primarily about her relationship with Jennifer and what had happened to their relationship. In the process she revealed stuff about Jennifer that she took issue with it. The book angered Jennifer and caused an even further rift between them.
Holy cow, I did just look at the cover. I hadn’t realized it was that overt.
Looking at the cover, it seems clear why she included the word “FRIENDS” in the title. Very opportunistic.
I couldn’t imagine in a million years how a mother could justify writing a book like that about her own daughter.
Very complicated. Regrets, anger, sadness.
–TheRealPinky
Yeah, I hope she’s doing ok.
Damn, I didn’t know about the abusiveness.
@OhDear, who wrote: “Damn, I didn’t know about the abusiveness.”
And neither does anyone else, really.
Aniston never said her mother abused her. She said her mother was overly critical of her, had anger issues, and unforgiving.
@Emma
Constantly pointing out and mocking your childs physical flaws . Only being able to give her back handed compliments / bewilderment i.e I cant believe you are famous , people think you are cute and lamenting how they will be lucky to find a man to love them is a form of emotional abuse.
I should know because I i have a mother very similar , I suspect that Her Mom is the main reason that she has always been reluctant to become a Mom , there is a school of thought that no matter how we try we often turn into our parents and I wouldnt wish any child to feel about me the way I feel about my mom.
The only thing is i forgave my Mom some time ago and try to look at her in the best light .
@Deedee
No I suspect she is feeling a lot of things but “great” is not one of them.
I commend Jennifer. She is the daughter of a narcissistic mother. For those of you not familiar, google “narcisstic mother.” Jennifer could have been public about her struggle but she took the high road. When you know the signs and read that book Nancy Dow wrote, you can see it so clearly. Jennifer has dealt with people speaking out against her for severing ties with her mother but sadly, it’s the only healthy option when you have a narcissist in your life.
Losing a parent that you have a strained relationship is one of the hardest things in the world. The feelings of grief and loss are intermingled with regret, guilt, and a deep sadness that you have no hope of making it any better. My heart goes out to her.
+1 on all your points
The last conversation I had with my father was an argument over money. It’s been 20 years since he died and I think about it every day.
I wish JA all the peace.
I had something similar happen with my mom 25-years ago. I still get a little pang when I think of that fight, it was a stupid quibble right before her death. But, mostly I think about all the other good times.
I was very fortunate that last conversations with my parents were positive ones (both passed rather unexpectedly). I have often thought how easily it could have been a disagreement or just being in a rush. If it had been a less than joyful conversation, I decided I would have focused on the big picture. More good times than bad. In any relationship not every conversation is happy and perfect.
I wish both of you (and JA) the peace you deserve.
I have an estranged father. I have tried many times to get over everything, but sadly there are boundaries that are not meant to be pushed, once you’ve done it some pieces cannot be put back together anymore. My father now is old, and sick, I ask him “how are you”. Ten years ago I wasn’t even capable to do that, I wish I could do more, but I cannot. He lost the opportunity to act like a father too many years ago: I was angry for long time, now I am only saddened by all of this. Time is running out and I feel we’ve lost all the chances. I know people say: “you can forgive, you can get over it”, but truth is: my mum was my mum and my dad. She was there for both of them, because he was nowhere to be seen.
Well said. Best wishes to the family in this tough time.
Yes, my dad and I have no relationship, I am 55, but he thinks its all me. Sad when you want one with them but they can’t see past themselves
I have that type of relationship with two elderly aunts. So self-centered and hurtful every time I talk to them. Since my parents passed last year, I have stayed distant and decided I have to remain that way for my own well-being.
Any relative (including parent) who is toxic like that should be kept at a distance and/or boundaries established. I wish my parents had done that, because the one regret they had at life’s end seemed to be how family had treated them (doormats).
The single most important relationship in anyone’s life is that with their mother.
She’ll mourn the relationship/mother she didn’t have.
That’s doubly sad – condolences.
I couldn’t disagree more. Blood isn’t thicker than water just because someone is your biological parent. Some women were/are not good candidates to be mothers. My relationship with my mother is not even close to being “the single most important relationship” in my life.
Hannah – please see post below.
I’m not saying anyone’s mother is the single most important person to them.
I don’t have a relationship with my mother other than what I HAVE to do for her out of obligation since I’m the only one left and I’m stuck with the duty.
I hope my additional post clarifies what I mean.
@Myrna
I fully understand your point whether we realize it ir not our relationships with our mothers are the most INFLUENTIAL on aspects of our personality , decision making etc. and shapes our lives in ways we dont even comprehend.
This can be true even if your relationship with your mother was not the most important personal relationship in your life .
I don’t agree. I feel like it’s mostly likely with your child (if you have one) or spouse (if applicable) as that’s who you really build your life with.
The love i have for my child is incomparable.
Most people with a parent like that have already done their mourning for the parent/life they could have had early on.
Totally agree with this. There is still the sadness when a parent dies but usually for what you wish it could (should) have been.
Every one dies. My mother is the class of mother that doesn’t return my 9 phone calls for mother’s day… not all moms need to be mourn. Not every death calls for “regret, guilt, and a deep sadness”. And NO! my relationship with my mother is not “the single most important relationship in my life”.
I am so sorry for you.
But you should know that your
perspective changes when facing
The loss of your parent.
My heart goes out to her in her sorrow.
I’m sorry, too, Susie.
Believe me – I get it.
When I say that the mother/child relationship is the most important, I’m speaking from a professional psychological perception offered me.
The mother/child bond is supposed to be the most influential and important in the development of the child’s own psyche.
I am NOT saying that we value our relationships with our mothers the most and that we all consider our relationship with our mothers the most important.
But wouldn’t you agree that it’s the relationship most influential on children as they develop?
And those of us who have a troubled relationship with our own mothers – the one person who should always have our backs.
The one person who should never betray us, but does.
That’s what I’m talking about – and it seems that Jen will be dealing with that complicated mourning…
“Not every death calls for “regret, guilt, and a deep sadness”. And NO! my relationship with my mother is not “the single most important relationship in my life”.”
I empathise with you, Susie. &, yes, I winced at the latter phrase too.
I’m with you on this. My mother is not a nice person, never has been. I put it this way, “if she was not my mother, she would not be my friend”… My “relationship” with her has given me one thing, the foresight to NOT have that sort of relationship with my three girls. We are close and loving, yet respectful of each others boundaries. Not everyone in the world is close to their mom (or in some cases, dad).
I agree Mellie. My mother is a narcissist and was never a very nice person to me and my other sister. Has said awful things and never apologized or acknowledged any damage she has done. Just because someone doesn’t physically abuse you doesn’t mean they don’t emotionally or mentally abuse you. And just because someone is your biological parent doesn’t mean they are loving mothers and fathers. I see people that are best friends with their parents, and I wonder what that feels like.
@susie I understand completely. It’s hard for many to understand, but not all mothers are loving or supportive. Sometimes mothers are our worst enemy, and inflict lifelong damage. My mother has Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and just wasn’t capable of being the kind of mother every daughter needs, but was overly critical, unloving, jealous of any frienships/relationships/successes I ever had (even as a child) and did her best to undermine me. I’m really glad I didn’t see any of the posts I expected to see on here about how callous and selfish she was as a daughter to disassociate herself from her mother. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten criticism from people for cutting my toxic mother out of my life.
Or a huge relief.
Was the book that terrible or just opportunistic and exploitative?
I think opportunistic and exploitative. But it was far more than that book. Jennifer had a very troubled relationship with a very critical mother. I think at some point she felt it was better for her emotional wellbeing not to have her in her life. Even when they reconnected, I don’t think it ever got past being a strained relationship.
My mom did not speak to her mom in the end. I didn’t agree w it. I thought she should do the right think. Ironically my nana died w dementia. Sad but some people are estranged. Makes me feel like my family is less looney.
I wonder how someone copes with the passing of a mom when you have a bad/tenuous relationship at best with, I ask cause I already struggle with Mother’s day and Holidays interactions with mine and I always wonder about how i’d act when she isn’t here anymore
Same here. I have an unbearable relationship with my dad and I seriously worry how I will handle his passing. I honestly dont feel like I have anything more to give that relationship but I suspect that after he is passed I will beat myself for not somehow rising above it all. Anyway, I feel for Jen.
You might feel a sense of relief… I know I did. Really, some parents are just not parents. They are sperm or egg donors. Best to acknowledge that fact and move on. They are who they are and as they age, as my aunt always said, they become more like themselves.
Love that, Jwoolman.
As they age they become more like themselves.
Yup.
And it solidifies what we always knew so that as we age we have validation to leave them in the dust.
It is so. Some people are good and some are bad, and some of each have kids. It’s a deep misfortune to be born to the bad ones, but it’s not by choice and it’s not hereditary. It takes work to overcome the bad luck but no one should be made to feel they have to force the relationship to be anything other than what it is. Usually when there’s an estrangement I look to the parents, not the kids, because the parents were there first. People can be deeply uncomfortable when someone violates the ‘norm’ about family ties, but their discomfort is not the responsibility of the child.
One of my dearest friends, now an elderly lady who is like a grandmother to my children, says the same: “As people get older, they are themselves, only more so”. She had an awful mother, and cut her out of her life many years before the old matriarch died, in order to save herself. My mum and I weren’t close, but I loved her, and I still miss her. As a mother of one truly wonderful daughter, I can’t imagine a life being estranged from her, and I know she feels the same. Stories like this are so sad, because sometimes, no matter what you do in an effort to have a loving relationship, some people just have to be left behind. I really feel for everyone who has/had horrible parents.
My mother was emotionally abusive to me almost to the end of her life. When I grew to be an adult I was able to shrug it off and even return it if she went too far, as she sometimes did. I finally told her flat-out that I wasn’t putting up with her bullshit any more. She died seven years ago. And no, I don’t miss her.
QQ – It genuinely changes the entire grieving process. You can’t know until you know, but I will say, even now, I stand by the decisions I made. The boundaries I had to create were painful, but necessary. I grieve because we were never able to repair our relationship and our last face to face interaction was terrible, and full of horrible memories. Even so, the years of turmoil while she was alive, were harder on me, emotionally, than the years of mourning at her passing.
Is hard Biting, Like for me I keep our interaction to one day a week and when I tell you this doesn’t sit well with an ultra enmeshed Hispanic family??!!! in fact to them I’m being the bad guy IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT EVERYONE KNOWS what kind of relationship I have with my very domineering mean spirited mom and in spite of the fact that they too have bad relationships with her, what i’ve chosen to do (neutral interactions and calling her own whenever she starts with the below the belt body critique etc) is just not done in my family, filial piety within my family dictates that we all put up with her to not cause offense etc, but about a year ago I said: “I’m NOT gonna disrespect you but you are NOT gonna talk to me this way any more, in fact No one is gonna talk to me this way” and I’m much happier and light inside for it, so I wonder if my grief will be more towards the hope for a nice sweet mom that doesn’t undermine or talk sh*t about me and that loved me like she loves my siblings or even for my siblings cause my mom is completely different with them
If Mother’s Day and Father’s Day did not exist, a lot of us would have 2 more uncomplicated days in our social calendar. How many people struggle to find a card that doesn’t lie about their emotions? How many people try to get through that tense phone call, or that even more tense brunch? (Let alone people who lost beloved parents, or never knew their biological parents, and every other way of existing in our social world.)
Biting Panda (!), you sound very mature and thoughtful about your decisions. Respect.
QQ, good luck. Whatever feelings you experience, now and in the future, are honest and trustworthy and most of all, yours. You lived in the relationship, not anyone else, and no one has the right to tell you how you should feel. When she isn’t here any more, you will have more room to reflect.
Well said, Biting!
I’ve had to create the boundaries, too; and it has been easy, because it’s a matter of self preservation.
No one could possibly understand if they’ve not been through it.
It goes against what others who have not been victims of their mothers to understand.
I don’t care anymore what people think of me.
I keep mine at arm’s length and only do what I have to do to ensure she is safe and cared for.
And she doesn’t even deserve that much.
She’ll go down spewing hatred and venum against me – her child.
Tough to stand up to, but I have no choice.
Good luck to you QQ, whatever anyone else thinks, you have to do what is best and healthiest for you. Good for you for standing up for yourself.
My mom and I are very close, but I watched what she went through with her own mother, and how certain family members reacted when they felt she wasn’t being a “good daughter” 24/7 – despite all the trying and the decades of crap she got in return. I imagine it’s very hard to deal with that continuously.
I also think it’s totally possible to have sadness, grief, regret, etc, for the relationship you could have had and didn’t.
I was alone in the hospital with the step-mom who hated and horrifically tortured me my whole life, when she died. I was only there to support my younger sister who she did love, and who was traumatized by her dying. We were there most of the day and my sis had left to get some food across the street when my mom’s breathing started getting funny. I called the nurse who said she was going. I sat by her bed watching her die and I felt so gd sorry for her I wanted to hold her hand. I knew however, that if she did open her eyes at that minute that I was the last person on earth she would want to see just before she died, so I didn’t. Believe it or not, I regret not holding the monster’s hand (for her sake) as she died. So what does that say about me?
What it says about you is that you are a very compassionate and empathetic person, which are wonderful qualities.
I’m so sorry to hear that Lady D – I teared up a bit reading that. I hope it doesn’t affect you too much as time goes by.
This thread has me thinking about how I will feel now if one of my parents pass. They didn’t raise me and they don’t seem to “concerned” about having a relationship with me. My mom lived close enough to me until I was about 15 but I didn’t even know her “real” name until she was getting married (I was about 12/13 then). She only calls when she wants something and tells me the same story about how I came to be (my dad wanted her to get an abortion, but she didn’t because she wanted a daughter – then she gave me to my grandmother when I was 10 months old).
Dad lives overseas and I can remember only speaking to him a few times over the years. Saw him about 3 times in my entire life and at this point, I’m sure I’m not really a constant thought on his mind (he’s not really on mine much either). I adore his wife though, we talk all the time and I send her pictures of the kids.
All these stories are making me wonder if I’ll be a mess when either of them goes. I hope not. I’ll be sad for my brothers and sisters because they’ll be losing “real” parents, but I hope I won’t be sad for myself.
Lady D, you made the call you felt was right, and I can tell you that you should NOT regret it at all. We were all there when my stepmom passed, and as good a relationship that I did have with her, I can tell you it was far from rainbows and sprinkles all the time; we did the best we could in a blended family, with a step-mom who never had a daughter and had no idea what to do with one. Everyone else had their hand on my stepmom – arm, shoulder, hand – as she passed, and I did not. I have never regretted it. I did everything I could to fulfill a role and be a good person while she lived. That was enough. In the last days of her life, I was but an afterthought to her. You were there in the hospital, when it sounds like you had plenty of reason not to be. She may not have even deserved that much, but you gave her that anyway. That was enough.
LadyD, trust the instinct that you had at that moment.
You are clearly a compassionate person, and those tend to be the ones walked on the most. Very kind of you to put your own experience and feelings aside to support your sister.
I teared up reading your story, too. You were considerate of her feelings and respectful of what you thought she would want- and this was someone who didn’t behave that way toward you – I agree with Jayna, it was a compassionate thing to do. No second guessing yourself is necessary. Take care.
You all are so kind, thank you. I never thought about it that way. I always felt bad for not holding her hand while she went.
I wonder the same thing, my mother was harsh and overly criticizing of everything I have ever done. Very passive aggressive. After my parents divorced she was a lunatic about finding another husband, that would take care of her and superseded anything about my brother and I. She kicked my bother out of the house because my stepdad didn’t want him there and I was thrust out at 18. My stepfather was a pedophile and I grew up with him touching me in ways that were inappropriate, amongst other horrifying things. Now that he has passed and she spent all his money, she depends on my my brother and I to support her. She is still very critical of both of us. If she were not my mother I would not be her friend. I remain in contact with her because of a sense of propriety. But I dont like her
1. I’m wondering why AngieJo is mentioned in the 2nd sentence.
2. My brother rarely mentions his father since his passing. In fact, his kids only know my Dad as their grandfather. (And this isn’t a case of not telling them about a deceased person, because they know that our Mom was their grandmother and she’s been gone for six years.) I often wonder if he just ignores his father’s death because his father ignored him in life.
Because every thread it seems has to be a 6 degree of separation with her.
I wondered about the Angelina comparison too.
Exactly.There are literally dozens of celebs estranged from a parent including her former co stars Kate Hudson and Drew Barrymore.
To stir up arguments of course.
It is not always the fault of the parents. There are children who are a**es too. Sons or daughters who do not care too much about parents, and who take them for granted. I feel sorry for those who had not so good parents, but I have a brother who was cherished by my mom, and who came to visit her twice in ten years, him living in a city 2 hours away. We used to take her visiting, ad she called him regularly, but even her, with all the love was tired of chasing him at the end.
After she died, I have a really, really hard time trying to get in touch with him because all what my mom went through comes back and I feel like I am begging for some love scraps from him. I just can’t.
It’s not always the parents that are jerks but that’s not the situation here. Jennifer Aniston always had a difficult relationship with her mother growing up and after she wrote the book, Jennifer cut off all ties with her. She took issue with her mother writing about personal issues and detailing their relationship. Jennifer felt her mother did not respect her and violated her right to privacy much like Angelina Jolie felt about her father.
Some kids, like one of my brothers, are just jerks from the moment they are born. One of my brothers was spoiled by our mother – he was/is the favorite – but his entire life, he had an antagonistic relationship with our father, constantly claiming our dad took no interest in him and never did anything for him, which was simply not true. He started drinking in high school and blowing off classes. He told a guidance counselor that our dad abused our sisters, an outright lie that led to all sorts of problems for my parents. My oldest sister hasn’t spoken to him since. He got a full scholarship to an Ivy and dropped out after two years, blaming our dad for not being supportive, again not true. Of course, he has never had a problem asking our mother for our father’s money to pay his rent or other bills. He refused to see our father for the final 3 years of his life. The day of our father’s death, he refused to come to the hospice but spent the day pestering everyone by calling and asking us if we were taking care of mom, because he wanted to be sure she was okay and the rest of us would ignore her. During the funeral, he was surly to family but pretended he was deeply grieved to others so he got sympathy. He holds himself out on Facebook as a devoted son to our mother although he only calls her about 4 times a year and only sees her at Thanksgiving, despite living only five miles away from her. Nieces and nephews don’t even know who he is. Sometimes, it isn’t the parent.
What a mess, lilac. Sorry to hear this. I wonder why it is there seem to be so many Bad Brothers stories … been hearing a lot of them.
Believe it or not ‘being spoiled’ by a parent has it’s dark side. Kids that are too spoiled and not taught to be autonomous, often struggle for success and breed narcissism. I’m not blaming anyone, in fact, I think mothers and fathers tend to operate at the best of their abilities, I know my single mom did, but I watched my mom do the same thing with my brother, it was like he could do no wrong and in the end, he struggled for it. He’s not an asshole and we’re friends but being told by our mom that he’s perfect has been a disservice to him. The real world doesn’t operate like that.
Wow! I’m sorry for what you’ve been through and at the same time have to admit that I find comfort in hearing a story so similar to my own. One of my brothers was totally indulged by my parents (in my case we were all indulged equally) while he complained bitterly about them and often treated them horribly. At their funerals he would run over and dust off the urns and adjust their photo frames while people teared up in sympathy. That’s just the tip of the bad behavior. Ultimately I found that for me there is very little good that comes out of maintaining a relationship with him. Sad but profoundly true.
It is hard to lose a mother you have a difficult relationship with, but I don’t miss the drama she caused. My life is a much nicer place with her gone.
Amen!
Some people can only become safe, emotionally, physically, after a parent dies.
Thanks for that. It sounds awful but I know I will be better off when mine is gone. I have been the daughter who does everything for her to give me a crumb of her love while my drug addicted sister gets all of it and does no wrong even after I have taken in her kids and raised them. She is a sick and mean person who has always split her children and every relationship she has and then plays the victim. I have finally stopped trying. It is much better to not have her constant negativity in my life.
With the mother I have, I have no need for enemies. I will be at peace when she passes, knowing that she has left her tortured existence and will (hopefully) also finally be at peace.
Amen sister. I completely get it
I concur with all the other commenters about the conflict of losing a parent that you have had a difficult and tenuous relationship with. I saw it with my own husband (now ex). His mother was horribly abusive, an alcoholic and prided herself on her ability to manipulate him. I think there was some relief for him when she passed. Of course none of us can know Jennifer’s relationship with her mother, but clearly, in the media she was estranged from her for years, and with good reason, in my opinion. I don’t think she was even in attendance at her wedding to Brad Pitt, though I could be wrong. Sometimes a person needs to protect themselves from abusive parents. Emotional abuse is devastating b/c the scars on are on the inside. My thoughts go out to her….I hope she is able to find some peace.
I always dreaded mothers day and fathers day. Having to buy a “generic” card because none of the others described at all what my parents were like. My motherinlaw however was more like a mother and friend to me and I spend a great deal of time finding the perfect card for her. It is very sad to feel that way about your own parents but it is what it is.
We cannot choose our relatives, but we can choose how we deal with them. And it is what is…
I had good parents, but they had a crappy parent or two in the mix and several narcissistic siblings who made their lives more difficult. Being nice and not establishing boundaries does not work. And it came to be the one regret they had at the end of their lives. While a couple of the biggest jerk(ettes) – their older siblings – are left and doing fine. Life just isn’t fair sometimes.
if you saw those pictures of Jennifer and her husband Justin all covered up even when it was 70 degree in NYC they were on their way to catch up a plane on Monday. her fans have access to whenever she is out of LA due to the same private plane she takes and knew she had been in NYC since May 17 and they returned to LA on Monday.
Nancy’s friend on Facebook said she was at her apartment on Tuesday and didn’t think she was going to make it and that Aniston had spend the night with her mom so she also confirmed the death but deleted her post entirely few minutes later.
The same friend was pissed off that in touch published a nasty story about Jennifer few weeks ago and told the truth on facebook and said Jen had endured a lot from her mom and she takes care of her financially and that Nancy told her Jen had sent her a beautiful flowers for her birthday.
Saw those too, I agree. I think she was with her. I think Jennifer is known to be a nice person..and it does not fit that she was not. This was not a sudden thing I dont think, she had been sick a long time. Im betting the farm she was there.
“No matter how complicated and difficult the relationship between Nancy and Jennifer may have been, it is heartbreaking for any daughter to lose her mother,”
Exacly. Right now it’s not okay to mention that they were “estanged”. She just lost her mom. My heart bleeds for her.
Truth is nobody really knows how Jennifer is feeling right now. Any loss of a family member is difficult.
I also agree with what other commenters said about the conflict of moruning a dead parent u had a very tenuous relationship with. My relationship with my dad has taken a turn for the worse since my mom’s death. He is an abusve,manipulative and stubborn person. He mistreated my mom n I,even on her death bed humiliated her. Because of him,i lost the guy i had wanted to marry. I dont want to marry anymore. The thought of him walking me down d aisle on my wedding day disgust me. The pain of his mistreatment towards me and my mom has made me bitter. I dont celebrate Fathers’ Day cause it is no use to me. But I also think of when he passea,how i will feel. If I will mourn or just breath a sigh of relief.
You will mourn that you didn’t have a good relationship with him, but that doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong. It’s just natural to feel that way. I didn’t know my father and I didn’t want to know my father, but when he passed away, it was a strange feeling to know it was no longer my choice. I would never know my father. I didn’t feel guilty, more like I got the shaft.
Jennifer really loved her mother. She had a lot of wonderful memories of her mother. It was just a tough relationship as the years went on once they reconnected. I think like any daughter she would have loved it to be resolved and have a mother to lean on emotionally.
There is no way that this isn’t very hard on her, except maybe relief for her mom since she was incapacitated by strokes and not wanting her to suffer.
Here is Jennifer’s interview back when she was with Brad. This is the part where Diane Sawyer and Jennifer discussed her rift with her mother, and Jennifer was very emotional.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xyfSHNXwRU
Seems like she just wanted a heartfelt apology. Very sad.
Reading the hatchet job book Nancy wrote about Jennifer really made me feel for Jennifer. Nancy really was a horrible, manipulative person with an unbelievable martyr complex.
I have to applaud Jennifer for being willing to have any contact at all with her mother after that.
Nancy gave that interview with Hard Copy, and Jen was so upset they were estranged for I think a couple of years. Then they reconcile and Nancy turns around and uses that in the book, a book her daughter was adamant she didn’t want her to write, exploiting her for her own fame. Nancy does sound very narcissistic. After the first estrangement, why would you turn around and write a book about your daughter against her wishes and even discuss the first estrangement, which came about because of her blabbing to media about her daughter?
She did reconcile with her somewhat after her split with Brad, but it never seemed like they became really close again, had a distant relationship.
@Fanny ….
What sort of things did Nancy write about Jennifer? Could you give some examples?
She could have been with her Mother. On the 23rd the daily mail had pictures of her and Justin coming out of a building in NYC and she had her face all wrapped up in a scarf, shades and a hat on. I think I read an article that said Dow lived in NYC.
Her mom lived in Toluca Lake which is in LA
The most intense relationship is mother-daughter, the second most intense relationship is sister-sister.
Interesting that the few commenters who are trying to shame JA for her conflicted relationship with her mother, are the first to defend another who has a conflicted relationship with her father (I feel for both). Demi Moore went through a similar situation, but was able to make peace with her mother before her death. Not everyone is that lucky.
I always stay clear of judging, for the most part. I am blessed to have had two amazing parents. They weren’t perfect and nor was I, and we had our disagreements. But they would have driven in the middle of the night for me when I lived an hour and a half away if I called them and needed them. My mother is the only person who would sit on the phone and I could whine to about a bad cold and she would listen to every mind-numbing detail of my pity party. I had parents to lean on and always count on. I miss them. It’s easy to judge from the outside looking in on estrangements like this. And that’s dangerous. We didn’t live it.
I’m sorry, but there are always two sides to a story. Yes, it sounds bad that the mother wrote a tell-all about Jen, but I’d like to have heard her side of it. It’s never that simple. Maybe the mother was also holding grudges against her daughter for whatever reasons (and there are always reasons, as the filmmaker Jean Renoir so wisely pointed out).
The only side of the story we are missing is Jennifer’s because I read the mother’s side of the story. Trust me, it was ludicrous the way she portrayed herself as the innocent victim of a cruel and heartless daughter.
According to Nancy, she was a perfect mother who never did anything wrong in her life and Jennifer viciously turned on her for absolutely no reason. The whole book was her moaning about what a victim she is, and it was obvious that this woman went through life portraying herself as the innocent victim of everyone else’s wrongdoing.
There are 3 sides to every story. Hers / Hers & the Truth.
I don’t know what her Mom revealed about her in that book, but no matter what is in the book, the fact is her mother wrote a book and had it published purely because she is Jennifer Aniston’s mother. Noone would have published that book if she weren’t a famous person’s mother writing about her famous offspring. The fact that is was about their difficult relationship is pouring salt in an open wound. She used her daughter for profit – plain and simple. My instincts tell me she was jealous of her daughter both when she was a child and later, resented her fame. Unfortunately it happens more often than we think. Maybe not the fame part, but mom’s being jealous of their daughters. It happens.
Awww lookie here another reason for Jen to garner pity and attention. Will she and Justin announce their split now?
Damn I heart gossip you are deeply disturbed girl.making fun of the women when her mother just died?
You need professional help.
I have a different twist on family dysfunction. The ‘only’ illness that runs on both sides of my family is mental illness (bipolar spectrum, mild psychosis). I was blessed with an amazing Mom and Dad but 2 brothers both touched by mental illness. My parents were completely devoted to all of us even though in some ways my brothers treated them badly to horribly. I put up with my brothers’ behavior my whole life and when my parents died I mostly felt relief because I told them they could no longer verbally or emotionally abuse me. I’d happily keep a cordial relationship but they cut me off completely, and each other. I feel about 10% sadness and 90% relief.
I had a complicated relationship with an emotionally distant father who cheated repeatedly on my mother and was a white collar criminal who sent our family bankrupt while I was growing up. My parents were in the middle of divorcing when he was diagnosed with cancer 11 years ago. I hated him for being sick and for expecting all of us to stop being angry with him because of his illness. We hadn’t made amends when he died 9 months later. It was a complicated grieving process in which I mourned the relationship I wished I’d had, felt anger at him, and felt enormous guilt for not trying harder. Since I’ve had my own children I have softened my opinion of him. He was a complicated man and lacked emotional intelligence but he was still my father and I know he loved me. These days I remember the good things like his killer sense of humour and charisma