Jennifer Grey has shared a heartfelt tribute to her mother, Jo Wilder, following her death at the age of 94.
Wilder had reportedly been diagnosed with lung cancer just a week before she died. Grey said her mother died on July 4, and described the loss as one she faced “on her own terms.”
Posting on social media, the Dirty Dancing actor said her mother chose to face the end of her life in her own way.
“My mother, Jo Wilder, passed away on July 4th at 94 — by her own choosing, on her own terms, exactly as she lived,” wrote Grey.
“True to who she was, she chose grace over fear, understanding that leaving this world with dignity is an honor, not a tragedy.”
Grey, 66, reflected on her mother’s early years, describing her as a gifted young performer on the New York stage before family life with actor Joel Grey, her former husband, took her in a different direction.
Jo Wilder, who was also known for her work as an actress and singer, married Joel Grey in 1958 and later stepped away from show business to focus on raising their family. The pair divorced in 1982, and they shared two children: Jennifer Grey and chef James Katz.
Along with Jennifer Grey, Wilder is also survived by her son James Katz, who works as a chef.
Grey continued her tribute by speaking about the path her mother took, saying that rather than fully pursuing acting, she devoted herself to raising a family.
“She was gorgeous and talented — a promising young actress on the New York stage in her youth,” she wrote. “She used to say she never fully answered that calling; she became a mother instead.
“If she’d chosen ambition over my brother and me, we never would have had the mother we had,” she wrote.
“Her passion found other outlets: she was a lifelong activist, fiercely attuned to right and wrong. And for years, many people discovered her extraordinary eye through Wilder Place, her store on Melrose.”
She ended the message with another moving reflection on her mother’s character.
“She was brave and deep. I love you, Mom. Thank you for showing me how to do it all, even this, with grace.”
Many people responded in the comments with messages of sympathy. The post included several sepia-toned and black-and-white photographs of Wilder.
Two of the images also featured Grey alongside her mother.
Among those offering condolences were Tracy Pollan, who has known Grey since their teenage years, as well as Maggie Wheeler and Richard E. Grant.
Grey’s former husband, Clark Gregg, also left a brief message of support in the comments.
Grey had often posted photos of herself with her mother on Instagram over the years, including for Mother’s Day and birthday tributes.
The tribute also comes several years after Grey opened up about her family life in her memoir Out of the Corner, which touched on the pressures of growing up in a well-known entertainment family and the influence her mother had on her own life and values.