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'The Notebook' star Gena Rowlands has Alzheimer's, like her character Allie

Gena Rowlands, a legend of the screen whose career has spanned nearly seven decades and countless awards including two Oscar nods and one honorary Academy Award, has Alzheimer's. Her son, Nick Cassavetes, tells EW she is 'in full dementia.'

Her son, director and actor Nick Cassavetes, shared the news with Entertainment Weekly while looking back on working together on The Notebook for its 20th anniversary. Cassavetes echoed these sentiments to EW, revealing one bittersweet memory from their time together making the film (available on digital platforms). Cassavetes recalls showing the finished cut to studio executives, who gave the note that they needed Rowlands to cry more at the end when her character finally remembers who she is and comes back to her longtime love, Noah, played by James Garner.

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