The Notebook author Nicholas Sparks sends his ‘thoughts and prayers’ to Gena Rowlands after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis was revealed

The Notebook author Nicholas Sparks has said his ‘thoughts and prayers’ are with Gena Rowlands after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis was revealed.

Gena, 94, played the older version of Rachel McAdams’ Allie in the film adaptation of Sparks’ book The Notebook, and her character battled dementia on screen.

Sparks, 58, shared a post to

‘Alzheimer’s is such a cruel disease. On days like today, I’m reminded of Gena’s powerful portrayal of Allie and the depth she brought to the character. Her performance touched millions of hearts and helped bring my story to life in ways I could never have imagined.

“I feel truly honored to have had the opportunity to work with such a talented artist, and my thoughts and prayers are with Gena, Nick and their family during this challenging time. I will always cherish her legacy in film and her impact on The Notebook.”

The tweet included a photo of Rowland and her son Nick Cassavetes, who directed The Notebook, on the set of the film.

The tweet was shared on the same day Gena’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis was revealed. Her son Nick announced her health struggles Entertainment weekly.

Emmy and Golden Globe winner Rowlands has been living with the disease for five years and is now “in full-blown dementia,” her devastated family said.

Cassavetes said, “I had my mom play the older Allie, and we spent a lot of time talking about Alzheimer’s and wanting to be authentic with it, and now, for the past five years, she has had Alzheimer’s.

“She’s completely demented. And it’s so crazy – we’ve lived it, she’s played it, and now it’s our turn.”

Although she had a decades-long career, Rowlands’ portrayal of Old Allie in The Notebook made the film a love story for the ages.

Now she faces the same struggles as her character.

Based on Sparks’ 1996 novel, The Notebook tells a gripping love story between working-class Noah and wealthy Allie, who fall deeply in love while defying social divides.

The film cuts between the unlikely couple’s passionate childhood and the present, where an older Noah, disguised as ‘Duke’, reads their story from a notebook to a fellow nursing home resident – ​​his wife Allie (Gena Rowlands) who now suffers from dementia suffers.

To keep the spark alive and rekindle their romance despite her memory loss, Noah has read from a notebook Allie had written in the early stages of her illness, detailing their love story so he can help her remember him to remember.

In a 2004 interview with O Magazine, Rowlands talked about how her mother’s battle with the disease influenced her decision to play Allie.

“I went through that with my mom, and if Nick hadn’t directed the movie, I don’t think I would have gone for it; it’s just too hard. It was a tough but beautiful film.’

Nick reflected on his experience directing his mother in ‘The Notebook’ and shared a bittersweet memory with Entertainment Weekly.

After showing the completed film to studio executives, they requested a reshoot. In particular, they wanted Rowlands to show stronger emotions as her character rediscovers her memories and reunites with her love, Noah.

Cassavetes talked about the awkward moment when he informed his mother about the new filming, and she wasn’t happy; ‘For clarity. Are we going to film again because of my performance?’ she said.

“We go to reshoots, and now it’s one of those things that mom is mad about and I asked her, ‘Can you do it, mom?’ She says, ‘I can do anything,'” Rowland’s son recalled.

“I promise you, about my father’s life this is true: Tears flew from her eyes when she saw [Garner]and she burst into tears. And I thought, OK, we got that… It’s the only time I was in trouble on set.’

Cassavetes said he’s not only proud of the success of the film, which has been cemented as a romantic “cult classic” over the past two decades — he also looks back fondly on the moments he shared with his mother on set.

‘It’s always a shock to hear that so much time has passed, but it makes sense. I’m just glad it exists,” he says, adding, “It seems to have worked and I’m very proud of it.”

Wisconsin-born Rowlands starred on the big screen and stage for seven decades before retiring from her stellar career in 2014 at the age of 84.

Many of her best performances came in collaboration with her actor-director husband John Cassavetes, who died in 1989 – most notably A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980).

She also starred in Woody Allen’s film Another Woman (1988), playing philosophy professor Marion Post who becomes fascinated by a mental patient named Hope.