Kevin Smith pays tribute to his mother, Grace, who died Monday evening following a sudden deterioration in her health.
THE Clerk The director shared the heartbreaking news on Dec. 2 and opened up about losing the woman he considered his biggest supporter.
Just days before his death, Smith flew to Florida for what he described as an “unplanned emergency trip to see mom, who was suddenly at death’s door.”
In that earlier update, he said she had “bounced back, coming back from the brink” over Thanksgiving weekend. Grace was due to celebrate her 80th birthday later this month.
Smith announced his death in a touching Instagram post, sharing memories and photos of their time together.
“The bill for 55 years of unconditional love came due on December 1, and the price I paid was having to see the strongest person I have ever known, my favorite person in the world, leave the stage after a lifetime of preparing her for her children. My mother is gone,” he wrote.
He described Grace as “the first person I ever loved” and someone with “a stronger heart who tended to put everyone else first.”
She raised Smith alongside her siblings Donald Jr. and Virginia with their father Don, who died in 2003.
Calling her “a lioness, fiercely protective of his pride,” Smith said his mother made him feel valued and loved every day.
“My mother made me feel like I mattered – to our family, to the world and most of all to her,” he shared.
The filmmaker thanked his mother for believing in him before anyone else. He told fans she was his “biggest fan”, adding: “If you like me or anything I’ve ever done, she was the role model.” »
Smith also revealed that he pulled out of several scheduled appearances to cry.
“I will miss her for the rest of my life, but I also know how lucky I was to have spent as much time as I did with my mother,” he wrote, explaining that he intended to “mourn Grace for a while.”
Smith, who has daughter Harley Quinn Smith with wife Jennifer Schwalbach, ended his tribute with a personal message to his mother: “Thank you for making me alive and taking me on the journey of my life. I love you so much, Mom. You always have been and forever will be my hero. Love, Tiger.”
