Chris Anne Affleck, the mother of actors Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck, has died at the age of 82 following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
According to her obituary published by Legacy, Chris Anne passed away peacefully in her sleep on June 2 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December. Doctors had reportedly given her six months to live, and her final wish was to attend her grandson’s high school graduation.
She fulfilled that wish on May 31, attending the ceremony just two days before her death.
Chris Anne is survived by her sons, Ben, 53, and Casey, 50, as well as her five grandchildren: Indiana, Violet, Atticus, Fin and Sam.
Born in New York City in December 1942, Chris Anne graduated from Harvard University before dedicating more than three decades of her life to public education. She worked as a public school teacher for 35 years before retiring in 2008.
In a 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ben Affleck praised his mother’s commitment to education, saying that she earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees from Harvard before teaching fifth and sixth grade in public schools. Beyond the classroom, Chris Anne was a lifelong advocate for civil rights and social justice.
Chris Anne and her former husband, Timothy Affleck, welcomed Ben in 1972 and Casey in 1975.