Brad Pitt’s mother has died aged 84.

The passing of Jane Etta Pitt, a retired school counselor, was confirmed by her granddaughter and Pitt’s niece, Sydney, in a sorrowful post on Wednesday.

Sydney, who is the daughter of Pitt’s younger brother Doug, praised her ‘sweet Grammy’ by saying: ‘We weren’t prepared for you to leave, but knowing you’re now free to sing, dance, and paint again makes it slightly more bearable.

‘If you knew Grammy, you knew she had the biggest heart. She cared deeply for everyone and everything, no questions asked.

‘She taught me how to paint, how to be strong, how to lead with kindness, to love Jesus through everything, and to find joy in the smallest things. 

‘She invented the silliest games just to make us laugh, and she believed in fairness, putting others first, and doing good deeds simply because it was the right action.

Brad Pitt’s mother has died aged 84 – she is pictured with the star in 2012

Though Jane and her husband William largely stayed out of the public eye, they occasionally accompanied Pitt on the red carpet – seen in 2012 with Pitt and his former wife Angelina Jolie.

She added Jane ‘could keep up with all 14 of us grandkids without missing a beat.

‘There was no limit to the love she gave, and everyone who met her felt it.’

‘I’m unsure how we’ll go on without her. But I know she’s still present in every brushstroke, every kind act, every hummingbird. She embodied love in its most genuine form.

‘We were truly blessed to have her to love on growing up and I know she lives on through each of us.’

Jane is survived by husband William Alvin Pitt, three children and 14 grandchildren. 

Doug and his wife Lisa have three children: Sydney, Landon, and Regan, while their daughter Julie is the mother of Caleb, twin girls Josie and Rylie, as well as two adopted sons, Caden and Cruz, with her husband Scott Neal.

Pitt is father to Shiloh, 19, twins Vivienne and Knox, 17, and three adopted children Maddox, 24, Pax, 21 and Zahara, 20 – who he welcomed with ex-wife Angelina Jolie.

He has been estranged from his children since an explosive fight on their private jet in 2016 resulted in Angelina, 49, filing for divorce – and last year insiders told the Daily Mail his parents were ‘heartbroken’ at not seeing their grandchildren for eight years.

Brad Pitt’s representatives declined to comment when contacted by the Daily Mail.

Jane wed Brad’s father William Alvin Pitt in 1962 and the future Oscar winner was born the following year – they are pictured together in 1997

The death of Jane Etta Pitt, a former family counselor, was confirmed by her granddaughter and Pitt’s niece Sydney in a heartbreaking post on Wednesday

Jane is pictured 2014 with grandchildren Pax, Shiloh and Maddox

Jane and William are pictured with their grandchildren Sidney, Landon and Reagan

Pitt is pictured with Jane in 2010 in Venice

Jane was last pictured in July 2023 in Santa Barbara after her granddaughter Josie’s wedding 

Jane was seen in a candid holiday snap shared by her granddaughter

Jane wed Brad’s father William – the former owner of a trucking company – in 1962 and the future Oscar winner, now 61, was born the following year.

After the birth of Brad in 1963, William and Jane welcomed son Doug in 1966 and sister Julie in 1969. They raised their family in Springfield, Missouri.

While Jane and William kept mostly out of the spotlight, they did occasionally join Pitt on the red carpet. 

They memorably supported their son and then-partner Jolie at the 2012 Academy Awards. 

In 2014 they walked the red carpet with Pitt and three of their grandchildren at the premiere of Jolie’s film Unbroken – after the actress was unable to attend due to chickenpox.

Jane said of ‘We’re so very proud of Angie. This means so much to our family, especially our grandchildren. We love her dearly.’

Jolie had praised Pitt’s parents in the past for how they had accepted her adopted children.

‘When I first met them I came in with two adopted children from other countries and I didn’t know how they were going to be,’ she said. ‘But they are equally loving with them.’

In June Pitt shouted out his beloved mom at a screening of film F1. While appearing on The Today Show, he said: ‘I gotta say hi to my mom because she watches you every morning. To Jane Pitt. Love you, Mom’ before blowing a kiss and waving.

In 2009 Pitt and his siblings donated $1million to open a  pediatric cancer center at St. John’s Children’s Hospital, located in the Pitt’s hometown of Springfield, Missouri, in honor of their mother.