Underworld and Pearl Harbor star Kate Beckinsale has announced the death of her mother, the actress Judy Loe, 78, in a public outpouring of grief on her Instagram account.
“I don’t want to post this. I am only posting this because I have had to register my mother‘s death certificate and it will soon become public record. She died the night of July 15th in my arms after immeasurable suffering,” she wrote.
Loe had been suffering from stage four cancer for the past two years.
“I have not picked all the best photos, nor the best videos, because I cannot bear to go through my camera roll yet. I deeply apologise to any of her friends who are finding out this way or through the press, but I cannot go through her phone,” continued Beckinsale.
“I am paralysed. Jude was the compass of my life, the love of my life, my dearest friend. The vastness and huge heart of this tiny woman has touched so many people who love her dearly. She has been brave, in so many ways, forgiving sometimes too much, believing in the ultimate good in people and the world is so dim without her that it is nearly impossible to bear.”
Beckinsale recalled the untimely death of her father, UK actor Richard Beckinsale. Still remembered for his roles in iconic 1970s UK TV shows Porridge and Rising Damp, he died at the age of 31 of a sudden heart attack, when Beckinsale was just five-year-old.
“Mama, I love you so much. This has been my greatest fear since finding my father dead at five and I am here. Oh my Mama… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I am so sorry,” she wrote.
Loe was born in Urmston, Manchester in the UK In 1947. She graduated from the University of Birmingham with a BA in English and Drama, and went on to forge a career in TV, with her best known credits including General Hospital, Inspector Morse, Casualty and Holby City.
Her death comes some 18 months after that of Beckinsale’s stepfather, the TV director Roy Battersby, who died in L.A. in January 2024 after a suffering a massive stroke, while also being treated for cancer.
The actress had a close relationship with Battersby, who had been part of her life since was she was a child. Beckinsale famously dashed from the 2024 Golden Globes ceremony to be by his side.
“Finding my father’s dead body alone in the middle of the night at the age of five shaped my entire life. Seeing my beloved stepfather die a year ago today will haunt me forever,” she once wrote.
“It does seem terribly careless to have managed to be present for both deaths and unable to prevent either, the second time trying with every single thing I had. It was not enough.”
