A schoolteacher who gave the entertainment world’s most famous actors has died.
Brad Pitt’s mother, Jane Pitt, died at the age of 84.
Her death was announced by the Pitt family, who shared her obituary with KYTV in Springfield, Missouri.
The television station said she was first a school counselor who eventually became a philanthropist with her husband, William, frequently supporting children, such as their $1 million donation to help start the Jane Pitt Pediatric Cancer Center at Mercy Hospital.
Born Jane Etta Hillhouse, she was born in 1940 in Memphis, Tennessee. Jane Pitt died on Aug. 5, six days before her 63rd anniversary and a week before she would have turned 85.
She met her future husband at Oklahoma Baptist University, where she was a cheerleader and he was a basketball player. They “literally bumped into” each other in the library.
They lived in Oklahoma and eventually moved to St. Louis before landing in Springfield, where they raised their family.
She started her career as an elementary school teacher and once her three children — Brad, Doug and Julie — were grown, she supported families in the Springfield Public School System through the “Parents As Teachers” program.
Jane Pitt was the grandmother of 14 grandchildren. One granddaughter, Sydney Pitt, shared a tribute to her grandmother on Instagram, which called her “Love in its purest form,” The Los Angeles Times reported.
Brad Pitt would frequently be accompanied by his mother on the red carpet, according to the Times.
She also appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” in 2002, where celebrities’ mothers gave advice to their famous children, USA Today reported.
“Don’t believe all the hype you read about yourself, honey. Actually, you’re a short, overweight bald guy.” she told her son.
The Oscar winner told The Hollywood Reporter that his mother was “very loving” and that it was “hilarious because she always gets painted in the tabloids as a she-devil” but “there’s not an ounce of malice in her.”
He also turned the spotlight on her during his promotion of his latest movie, “F1″ during an appearance on the “Today” show.
“I’ve got to say hi to my mom because she watches you every morning,” he told Savannah Guthrie. “To Jane Pitt! Love you mom," as he waved to her and blew her a kiss.
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