Chris Anne Affleck succumbed to cardiac arrest. This is according to the death certificate, which is available to the US magazine "People", among others. The mother of actors Ben (53) and Casey Affleck (50) died on June 2 at one of her sons' homes. As an additional condition that led to her death, the document lists adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. No autopsy was performed.

The former teacher had received the cancer diagnosis in December, and at that time doctors gave her about six months. This is reported by the "Hollywood Reporter" citing the family's obituary. The death of the 83-year-old was not made public until July 24, almost eight weeks later.

One wish, two days before the end

After the diagnosis, Chris Affleck had one main goal in mind. She wanted to witness her grandson Atticus's graduation, as the family announced. On May 31, she sat in the audience at the ceremony. Two days later, she died in her sleep.

She was born in December 1942 in New York City. She studied at Harvard but then decided against a lucrative career and chose to teach. She taught at public schools for 35 years and retired in 2008.

The marriage to Timothy Affleck produced two sons; Ben was born in 1972, Casey three years later. The couple divorced when Ben was about twelve years old. That her older son ended up in front of a camera at all was thanks to a contact from her student days. She connected him with casting director Patty Collins, with whom she had shared a room at Harvard. Through her, Ben Affleck got his first auditions for commercials and TV movies.

Proud, but preferred pushback

She accompanied her sons' careers from the beginning. In 1998, she sat next to Ben Affleck at the Oscars when he won the award for Best Original Screenplay for "Good Will Hunting" together with Matt Damon. Damon had also brought his mother. "I remember everyone making such a big deal out of it, as if it were something completely new", Affleck later told "Vanity Fair". "Why is it strange that we bring our mothers? Who else should we bring?"

In addition to her two sons, Chris Anne Affleck is survived by five grandchildren: Indiana (22), Violet (20), Atticus (18), Fin (17), and Sam (14).