Fans have turned out in droves to pay tribute to acclaimed actress Gena Rowlands who sadly passed away at the age of 94, one describing her as “one of the greatest actors to ever grace the screen”.

Rowlands starred in numerous films throughout a career that began on stage and television in the 1950s, including award-winning roles in movies directed by her first husband, John Cassavetes, who was an actor, writer, and director.

Although the cause of death has not been disclosed, her son, Nick Cassavetes, had previously revealed that she was living with Alzheimer’s.

Born on June 19, 1930, Rowlands began her acting career on stage with repertory theatre and made her Broadway debut in The Seven Year Itch. She gained recognition in the play Middle of the Night and appeared in numerous TV series, including Top Secret and Johnny Staccato. Her film debut was in The High Cost of Loving in 1958 and she later starred in Lonely Are the Brave in 1962.

Rowlands is best known for her collaborations with her husband on films such as Faces (1968), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), and Gloria (1980), earning Academy Award nominations for the latter two.

In her later career, Rowlands won an Emmy for The Betty Ford Story (1987) and starred in Woody Allen’s Another Woman (1988). Her notable performances include The Notebook (2004) and The Skeleton Key (2005). She continued to act into the 2010s, with appearances in Broken English (2007) and Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks (2014), before retiring from acting.

Fans were left “devastated” as news broke of Rowland’s passing, many taking to social media to pay tribute and reflect on her most iconic performances.

Rowlands is survived by her children, Nick, Zoe and Alexandra, several grandchildren and her second husband, Robert Forrest.

-with Reuters.