Eva Mendes Honors Her Brother Nearly 9 Years After His Death
Originally appeared on E! Online
is paying tribute to her late brother, Juan Carlos Mendes.
The Hitch actress shared insight into how she's carried her older brother's legacy with her in the years since he died after a battle with cancer in 2016 at age 53. And part of that is honoring his special day.
"My brother would've had a birthday this April 2," she wrote on Instagram March 24. "He passed almost 9 years ago."
Eva, 51, who shares daughters Esmeralda, 10, and Amada, 8, with Ryan Gosling, 44, added, "Then, less than 2 weeks later I gave birth to our second baby."
Along with a series of photos, the first a selfie of her standing outside in nature, holding a heart-shaped rock to her chest, and the last a heart-shaped hole in a tree, she wrote, "When his birthday nears, I start to look for signs that could be him. Of course, this can all be in my head, but I rather not believe that. It's not as beautiful."
The Place Beyond the Pines star continued, "So, here I am, starting to see hearts everywhere and feeling him a little extra right now. More to come, I'm sure."
More from E! Online
Katie Thurston Fears Cancer Has Reached Stage 4, Treatment Paused After Spots Found on Liver
TikToker Joshua Blackledge Dead at 16
Ben Affleck Breaks Silence on Jennifer Lopez Divorce
Shortly after Carlos' death, Eva detailed the struggle of coping with losing her brother just 12 days before welcoming her and Ryan's new baby.
"We had a funeral service for him and that same week I had the baby," she told Latina in 2016. "It was really, really intense and obviously beyond heartbreaking, but also kind of beautiful."
At the time, she shared that she had not had much time to grieve. "My older little girl is not yet 2 years old," the Ghost Rider actress explained. "My little one is still an infant, and right now it's really about surviving those nights and trying to enjoy this time as much as possible with them."
However, her family carried her through the tough times.
"Losing my brother brought our family closer, and we were already close to begin with," she said. "So to just see everybody be there for one another and show up, I feel so lucky to have them."
Months later, Ryan shared rare insight into the family's heartbreak, when he picked up the Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical award at the 2017 Golden Globes, recounting from the stage that while he filmed La La Land, 'my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our second, and trying to help her brother fight his battle with cancer.'
And after thanking her, and their little girls, he made sure to pay tribute to his late brother-in-law.
'If I may,' he added, 'I'd like to dedicate this to the memory of her brother, Juan Carlos Mendes.'
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Elle
2 hours ago
- Elle
Meghan Markle Shares Pics of Archie and Lilibet Experiencing 'Pure Joy' at Disneyland
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appeared to enjoy Disneyland almost as much as their kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in a Reel posted to Instagram by the Duchess of Sussex on Friday. 'Thank you @disneyland for giving our family two days of pure joy!' Meghan wrote in the caption of the adorable montage of the family's adventures. The whole group was at the amusement park for Lilibet's fourth birthday. Playing to Peggy Lee's song 'It's A Good Day,' the first clip showed a nervous Lilibet holding her mom's hand as she approached her hero, Elsa from Frozen. Lili was also gifted a Little Mermaid-themed birthday cake reading 'Happy Birthday Lili,' making it a day of Disney princesses for the royal one. The group could then be seen on various rides, including Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, Space Mountain, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and the King Arthur Carousel. Meghan shared a clip of just herself and Harry on the more demanding Rise of the Resistance, laughing and screaming together as they came down on the roller coaster. In a group shot, Meghan covered her kids' faces, but showed off her Minnie Mouse ears. Harry was kneeling by the two children and has his arm around Archie. Lili is barefoot and wearing a white dress covered in a colorful graphic bow pattern. Before the Disney party, Meghan celebrated Lili's fourth birthday with never-before-seen footage from the delivery room taken just ahead of her daughter's birth. In the clips, she and Harry are dancing together to help induce labor, because both Lili and Archie arrived past their due dates. 'Four years ago today, this also happened,' she wrote in the caption. 'Both of our children were a week past their due dates. So when spicy food, all that walking, and acupuncture didn't work—there was only one thing left to do! 😂.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Video: Toddler's Thoughts on Friendship Is What We Need To Hear Today
Kids often say the darnedest things; their unsolicited advice sometimes cracks everyone up, and we love them for that. Even Instagram mom Katy Robin experienced something similar with her daughter Emi. Her toddler's wise words left her emotional rather than surprised. In their Instagram video, the mom wells up upon hearing the toddler's 'thoughts on friendship.' Hear their heart-touching conversation in the clip to understand the true meaning of friendship from a child's perspective. It was a tear-jerking moment for Katy Robin (@katyrobinbird) when she heard Emi's 'thoughts on friendship' while 'biking home from preschool.' Their heartfelt conversation was a 'reminder' of what real friends are like. The toddler's friendship video starts with 3-year-old Emi politely expressing her desire to have a 'playdate with Frankie because she's so funny.' The mom appreciates her wish, saying, 'Good friends bring out the best in us,' and the toddler could not agree more. Emi goes on to explain that when she is 'super scared,' she runs over to Frankie. And what do you think Frankie does? Calm down Emi? No. She does something even better. Frankie laughs when Emi is crying. As a result, Emi laughs and they get 'better and better and better and better.' That is why Frankie is her best friend in the 'entire world.' For Emi, Frankie is 'the special-est.' This light-hearted conversation leaves the mom happy yet emotional. Emi's wise words in the toddler's friendship video struck a chord even with the netizens. Many commented on the post, with one person saying, 'This child has the wisdom of a gentle old soul. I love her and everything about her!' While another added, 'She has seriously amazing awareness and communication for a three-year-old! Wow! And obviously she is also a total love. Thanks for sharing.' Some users even admired Emi for being good at 'expressing' herself and 'articulating her feelings.' The adorable video has more than 346K likes on Instagram, thanks to Emi's words of wisdom. The post Video: Toddler's Thoughts on Friendship Is What We Need To Hear Today appeared first on Momtastic.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Kids Look So Grown Up in Rare Disneyland Video
Meghan Markle shared a montage of her family vacation to Disneyland in Anaheim, California. In the video, Markle could be seen enjoying rides and food with husband Prince Harry and kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Although Markle was careful to keep her kids' faces private, they are already looking so grown Markle and Prince Harry took their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, on a family trip to Disneyland—and the photos and videos could not be cuter. Markle shared a few glimpses into their family vacation with a montage set to Peggy Lee's 'It's a Good Day' on Instagram, writing, 'Thank you @disneyland for giving our family two days of pure joy!' In the video montage, Markle and Harry take their kids on some of the most iconic Disneyland rides, including the Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Dumbo The Flying Elephant, Star Wars: Rise Of The Resistance, and the Cars Land ride. Lilibet also looked thrilled to meet Elsa from Frozen. Markle wore a pair of the iconic Minnie Mouse ears over a black cap, along with a casual white shirt and jeans, while Harry opted for a black polo shirt and a cap. Archie coordinated with his dad wearing a simple top and jeans, while Lilibet wore an array of cute sundresses and a sparkly blue cap. Although Markle blocked out her children's faces, the video showed that Lilibet's strawberry red hair is getting ultra long and wavy, while Archie's hair is still just as auburn as ever. And the two kids are already looking so grown up! Lilibet turned four on June 4, and the family's trip to Disneyland seemingly coordinated with the big day—she even got a giant Mickey Mouse with a 'Happy Birthday, Lili' badge and a Little Mermaid-themed cake. The trip comes 31 years after Harry visited Walt Disney World with his mother, the late Princess Diana, and his brother, Prince William. Markle's video of her family trip to Disneyland follows on the heels of another intimate glimpse into her life with Harry. In honor of Lilibet's birthday, she shared a hilarious video of the pair twerking in the delivery room before welcoming her four years ago. Read the original article on InStyle
