Guy Pearce’s mum dies after battle with Alzheimer’s as soap legend pay tribute
Australian actor Guy Pearce has shared the sad news that his mother, Anne Cocking, has passed away after she spent more than a decade battling Alzheimer’s.
The 55-year-old actor was close to his English schoolteacher mother Anne and said he will miss her "enormously". Guy took to X - the social media app recently known as Twitter - to share the sad news.
The actor, who launched his career in 1986 playing the loveable character Mike Young in the iconic Aussie soap Neighbours, shared a string of photos of his late mother. He shared snaps of her in her youth, on her wedding day, and alongside Guy as an adult.
The Neighbours star explained that his mother had a hilarious sense of humour and had battled Alzheimer’s for 23 years. Guy wrote on Tuesday: "Lost my beautiful Mum today. ‘Kicked the bucket’ as she would say. What a sharp, fierce & witty woman Anne was, until Alzheimer’s struck in 2010.
Guy shared a photo of his beloved mum in her youth (Twitter/X)
He also shared a photo from her wedding day (Twitter/X)"It’s been a long & winding road. A fitting song 4 ur departure Mum. Tracy & I will miss u enormously. We’ll always love u XX."
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Many of Guy's followers on X rushed to share their support. One fan wrote in response to the news: "So sorry for your loss, Guy. Sending you all the best." Another echoed the sentiment, writing: "My sincere condolences Guy!"
And a further fan wrote: "sorry to hear that guy i know what its like loosing a mum but the beautiful memories never die."
Guy says his mum and sister Tracy always helped him remain grounded when his fame took off (Twitter/X)Anne, who was from County Durham, was married to Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot and RAF test pilot Stuart Pearce - who tragically died in an aircraft accident in 1975. She was fully supportive of Guy and his acting dreams - with the star landing his role of Mike on Neighbours when he was 18.
During an interview with The Guardian in 2018, Guy explained how his close relationship with his mother and his sister Tracy, who has a learning disability called Cornelia de Lange syndrome, kept him grounded.
He explained that he felt a strong sense of responsibility for his family following the death of his father. Asked if he felt acting was therefore a risk due to the nature of work being erratic, he replied: “No, because it just felt completely honest to me. On some level, I’m sure Mum went: ‘This little boy has had to deal with a whole lot. If this is what he wants to do, I’m going to support it.’”
He also said his mother was equally proud of both her children, and would tell people who asked if she was proud of Guy for his role on Neighbours by replying: “No more proud than I am of Tracy.”
His family life kept him 'in balance', he said. Guy explained: “I can’t genuinely go: ‘Yay, fame, great!’ knowing that there are people like my sister and other people who can’t function in the way they want to in the world. That keeps things in perspective for me. Fame, to me, is completely out of whack.”
The actor - who returned to Neighbours last year and will reprise his role again now the show has found new life via Amazon - has gone on to feature in major Hollywood blockbusters including L.A. Confidential, Memento, Iron Man 3 and The King's Speech.
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