Ben Affleck and his brother Casey are mourning the death of their beloved mother after she was able to fulfil one final wish before passing away.
The Hollywood star's mother Chris Affleck died peacefully in her sleep on June 2 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December. According to her family, she had been given just six months to live last Christmas.
Final Wish Fulfilled
Despite her devastating diagnosis, Chris was determined to see her grandson Atticus graduate from high school. She achieved that goal, attending the ceremony surrounded by her family on May 31 before passing away just two days later. Her death was confirmed in an obituary published in the Boston Globe, which celebrated her lifelong career as a teacher and civil rights activist.
Life and Legacy
Chris, a Harvard graduate and public school teacher, welcomed Ben in 1972 with husband Timothy Affleck before the couple had their second son, Casey, three years later. Ben has often spoken proudly about his mother's achievements and the sacrifices she made for her family.
Speaking in 2012, the Oscar-winning actor reflected on the different backgrounds of his parents. "My mother taught public school, went to Harvard and then got her master's there and taught fifth and sixth grade in a public school," he told The Hollywood Reporter. He added: "My dad had a more working-class lifestyle. He didn't go to college. He was an auto mechanic and a bartender and a janitor at Harvard."
Chris and Timothy divorced when Ben was 12, but she remained a driving force in both of her sons' lives and careers. Through her friendship with Harvard acquaintance Patty Collins, who later became a casting director, Chris helped Ben secure auditions for commercials and acting roles that launched his Hollywood career.
Academy Awards Memory
She was also by his side during one of the biggest nights of his life. Chris attended the 1998 Academy Awards alongside Ben, while Matt Damon brought his own mother after the pair received a Best Original Screenplay nomination for Good Will Hunting, which also starred Casey Affleck. The film won the Oscar, creating one of Hollywood's most memorable success stories.
Looking back on the evening, Ben later told Vanity Fair: "We were sitting next to our moms and we won, and we kind of hugged our moms. I remember how everyone had made such a big thing out of it as if this was such a novelty." He added: "I remember thinking, being insecure, like, 'Why? Why is it weird that we're bringing our moms?' Who else do you think we would bring?"
Ben would later win a second Oscar for Argo, while Casey claimed Best Actor for Manchester by the Sea in 2017.
Civil Rights Activism
Chris retired from teaching in 2008 and remained passionate about civil rights throughout her life, having been one of the original Freedom Riders who travelled through the Deep South during the 1960s to protest racial segregation. She is survived by her sons and five grandchildren: Casey's children, Atticus and Indiana, and Ben's children Violet, Fin and Sam, whom he shares with former wife Jennifer Garner.
