Joy Vogelsang, mother of actorNicolas Cage, has died at 85.
Vogelsang’s son, Christopher Coppola, shared the sad news of her passing last month onFacebook.
“My mama died at 10:33pm 5/26,” the director shared in a lengthy post.
“She had a very hard life with mental health issues.
In all of that painful emotional chaos she still managed to teach me something super important.
“It’s not love thy neighbor.
It’s smaller yet bigger,” he continued, further explaining what the emotion meant to him.
“Shake one’s hand with tenderness and meaning.
Don’t let your mind [wander] while you hug someone.”
The director went on to thank fans and friends for their support during the difficult time.
Vogelsang and Coppola’s marriage lasted from 1960-1976, perPEOPLE.
She also was adancer and choreographer.
“She was plagued with mental illness for most of my childhood,” Cage said at the time.
“She was institutionalized for years and went through shock treatments.
She would go into these states that lasted for years.
She went through these episodes of poetry I don’t know what else to call it.
She would say the most amazing things, beautiful but scary.
I’m sure they had an impact on me.”
Cage went on to credit Vogelsang for his creativity.
I’m sure it had some impact on me, though.
A rep for Cage didn’t immediately respond to EW’s request for comment on Sunday.
