Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey says her mom has died 'by her own choosing' after cancer diagnosis
Kit Roberts
Featured Image Credit: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association
Jennifer Grey has paid tribute to her mom after she died 'by her own choosing'.
Jo Wilder died at the age of 94 after being diagnosed with lung cancer the week before.
In a post on her social media account, Dirty Dancing star Grey wrote that she had decided to go out on her own terms,
“My mother, Jo Wilder, passed away on July 4th at 94 — by her own choosing, on her own terms, exactly as she lived,” wrote Wilder.
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“True to who she was, she chose grace over fear, understanding that leaving this world with dignity is an honor, not a tragedy.”
Grey, 66, said that her mom had been a 'promising young actress on the New York stage' before she started a family with actor Joel Grey, her ex-husband.
In addition to Grey, Wilder's other children include James Katz, who is a chef.
Grey went on to pay further tribute to her mom, saying that she had become a mom instead of 'answering that calling' to become an actress.
"She was gorgeous and talented — a promising young actress on the New York stage in her youth," she wrote. "She used to say she never fully answered that calling; she became a mother instead.
“If she’d chosen ambition over my brother and me, we never would have had the mother we had," she wrote.
"Her passion found other outlets: she was a lifelong activist, fiercely attuned to right and wrong. And for years, many people discovered her extraordinary eye through Wilder Place, her store on Melrose.”
Concluding her tribute, Grey wrote: “She was brave and deep. I love you, Mom. Thank you for showing me how to do it all, even this, with grace.”
People poured into the comments to share their condolences to Wilder on the post, which included a series of sepia and black and white photos of her.
Two of these also showed her with Grey as well.
Tracy Pollin, who has been a friend of Grey's since they were teenagers, as well as Maggie Wheeler and Richard E. Grant were among those who gave their condolences to Grey.
Clark Gregg, Grey's ex-husband, also offered his condolences in the form of three heart emojis which he left on the post.
Grey had frequently shared pictures of herself and her mom on her Instagram feed, including on occasions such as Mothers' Day and her birthday.