Joel Grey paid his ex-wife Jo Wilder an emotional bedside visit before she died at the age of 94 on July 4, 47 years after their split.
Jennifer Grey’s divorced parents had an emotional reunion before her mom died at the age of 94.
The 66-year-old actress revealed that her 94-year-old dad, Oscar-winning actor Joel Grey, opened up about the love he still had for actress Jo Wilder during a bedside visit last month, 47 years after their split.
On the latest episode of Ryan Weiss’ Waking Up with Ryan podcast, Jennifer shared what Joel had told Jo: “‘The day you said ‘I do’ was the first time I felt whole in my entire life. We had our bumps, but what I’ve realized is that none of that even matters anymore. What matters is the love we share.'”
According to the Dirty Dancing star, Jo – who was diagnosed with lung cancer a week before her death on July 4 – took a quiet pause and looked at her loved ones, before she said: “All is forgiven. It feels free.”
Jennifer’s mom decided not to undergo treatment for the disease, but instead, took control of her final days and urged others not to be afraid of death.
The Ferris Bueller’s Day Off alum said: “You have [a] choice in the matter with this diagnosis. Everyone deserves a good exit – if we can stop being so terrified, clean up whatever there is to clean up, and just tell people what we want.”
Jennifer – whose parents divorced in 1982 after 24 years of marriage – wrote an email to Jo before she died, celebrating the qualities she inherited from her.
The Red Dawn entertainer recalled: “I did an exercise where I wrote an email to my mom saying all the things that are great about me that I got from her – from our matching breasts and nail beds to ballet class and yummy lotions.
“She called me crying because she was so moved.”
Jennifer added: “Why are we not celebrating people while they’re here? What a sad thing to have someone say this after you’re not in the room.”
The Wish You Were Here cast member took to Instagram to pay tribute to her “gorgeous and talented” mom following her death.
Jennifer penned: “My mother, Jo Wilder, passed away on July 4th at 94 – by her own choosing, on her own terms, exactly as she lived.
“A week earlier, she learned she had lung cancer. True to who she was, she chose grace over fear, understanding that leaving this world with dignity is an honor, not a tragedy.”
Jennifer went on to add of Jo: “She was gorgeous and talented – a promising young actress on the New York stage in her youth.
“She used to say she never fully answered that calling; she became a mother instead. If she’d chosen ambition over my brother and me, we never would have had the mother we had.
“Her passion found other outlets: she was a lifelong activist, fiercely attuned to right and wrong. And for years, many people discovered her extraordinary eye through Wilder Place, her store on Melrose.”
The actress concluded: “She was brave and deep. I love you, Mom. Thank you for showing me how to do it all, even this, with grace.”
Jennifer Grey’s divorced parents had emotional reunion before her mom’s death
