Brad Pitt shows love for mother Jane Etta in heartbreaking clip just weeks before her death

Daily Mail​

3 hours ago

Brad Pitt gave a sweet shoutout to his mother Jane Etta Pitt just weeks before her death.
The actor's family confirmed Wednesday that Jane, a retired school counselor, had died at the age of 84.
And Pitt recently gushed about his mother during the promo tour for his latest film, F1.
He did so while appearing on a June episode of Today as he revealed to anchor Savannah Guthrie that Jane was tuning into the morning show from home.
'I've got to say hi to my mom because she watches you every morning,' he told Guthrie with a cheek-to-cheek grin across his face before waving to his mom.
Then, he blew a kiss to the camera before adding: 'To Jane Pitt. Love you, Mom.'
His endearing nod to his mom came over a month before her passing on Wednesday.
'Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1940, Jane Etta Pitt was a former elementary school teacher who met her future husband, William, Brad's father, at Oklahoma Baptist University,' according to an obituary obtained by the Springfield News-Leader.
'The couple married in 1962 and raised their three children — Brad, Doug and Julie — in Springfield, Missouri,' per the local outlet.
Over the years, Pitt's mother and father, a local businessman in Springfield, showed their support for him by attending red carpet events in Hollywood with him.
In 2014, both of his parents attended the premiere of Unbroken, a film directed by Pitt's then-wife Angelina Jolie.
His mother also made headlines in 2012 when the Springfield News-Leader published an op-ed she penned, in which she argued that Christians should vote for Mitt Romney for president, per ABC News.
Earlier that year, Pitt told The Hollywood Reporter that his mom is 'very, very loving.'
'I've got to say hi to my mom because she watches you every morning,' he told Guthrie with a cheek-to-cheek grin across his face before waving to his mom
He told the outlet that he thought it was 'hilarious because she always gets painted in the tabloids as a she-devil' despite that 'there's not an ounce of malice in her.'
He also said that his mother is 'very open, genuine' and 'wants everyone to be happy.'
Pitt's niece Sydney, Jane's granddaughter, confirmed their family's loss and shared that Jane had passed away at age 84 in a heartbreaking post on Wednesday.
Sydney, the daughter of Pitt's younger brother Doug, lauded her 'sweet Grammy', writing: 'We were not ready for you to go yet but knowing you are finally free to sing, dance, and paint again makes it a tad easier.
'If you knew Grammy, you knew she had the biggest heart. She cared deeply for everyone and everything, no questions asked.
'She taught me how to paint, how to be strong, how to lead with kindness, to love Jesus through everything, and to find joy in the smallest things.
'She made up the silliest games just to make us laugh, and she believed in fairness, in putting others first, and doing good simply because it was the right thing to do.'
She added Jane 'could keep up with all 14 of us grandkids without missing a beat.
'There was no limit to the love she gave, and everyone who met her felt it,' Sydney continued.
'I don't know how we move forward without her. But I know she's still here in every brushstroke, every kind gesture, every hummingbird. She was love in its purest form.
'We were truly blessed to have her to love on growing up and I know she lives on through each of us.'
Jane is survived by husband William Alvin Pitt, three children and 14 grandchildren.
Her son Doug has Sydney, Landon and Regan with his wife Lisa, while daughter Julie is mom to Caleb, twin daughters Josie and Rylie, as well as adopted sons Caden and Cruz, whom she shares with her husband Scott Neal.
Pitt is father to Shiloh, 19, twins Vivienne and Knox, 17, and three adopted children Maddox, 24, Pax, 21 and Zahara, 20 — who he welcomed with ex-wife Angelina Jolie.
He has been estranged from his children since an explosive fight on their private jet in 2016 resulted in Angelina, 49, filing for divorce — and last year, insiders told the Daily Mail his parents were 'heartbroken' at not seeing their grandchildren for eight years.