Kevin Smith pays tribute to his mother, Grace, who died on Monday night following a sudden decline in her health.
The Clerks director shared the heartbreaking news on Dec. 2, opening up about the loss of the woman he called his biggest support.
Days before her passing, Smith flew to Florida for what he described as an “unplanned emergency trip to see mom who was suddenly on death’s doorstep.”
In the earlier update, he said she had “bounced back and bounced back from the brink” over the Thanksgiving weekend. Grace was due to celebrate her 80th birthday later this month.
Smith announced her death in a touching Instagram post, sharing memories and photos from their time together.
“The bill for 55 years of unconditional love came due on December 1st, and the heavy price was having to watch the strongest person I’ve ever known, my absolute favorite person in the world, leave the stage after a lifetime of putting it out there for her children. My mother is gone,” he wrote.
He described Grace as “the first person I ever loved” and someone with a “stronger heart that tended to put everyone else first.”
She raised Smith with sibling Donald Jr. and Virginia with their father Don, who died in 2003.
Calling her a “lioness, fiercely protective of her pride,” Smith said his mother made him feel valued and loved every single day.
“My mother made me feel like I mattered—to our family, to the world, and especially to her,” he shared.
The filmmaker credited his mother for believing in him before anyone else. He told fans she was his “biggest fan”, adding: “If you like me or anything I’ve ever done, she was the plan.”
Smith also revealed that he is stepping back from several scheduled performances to mourn.
“I will miss her for the rest of my days, but I also know how lucky I was to have had as much time as I did with my mother,” he wrote, explaining that he intends to “mourn Grace for a while.”
Smith, who has daughter Harley Quinn Smith with wife Jennifer Schwalbach, ended his tribute with a personal message to his mother: “Thank you for making me and taking me on the journey of my life. I love you so much, Mom. You have always been, and always will be, my hero. Love, Tiger.”
