“The Sopranos” star Drea de Matteo confirmed her mother Donna died at the age of 82 on May 31 after suffering a cardiac episode.
Donna was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 10 years ago, according to People. “We are deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of my mother, Donna de Matteo,” the famous actress told People.
“I was on my way to New York to spend the summer with her when I received the news of her passing,” de Matteo said. “My mother was an amazing woman. She was sensitive, emotional, and brilliant. She experienced generational trauma but refused to let it define her. She took her pain and made beautiful art with it, writing plays that tore your heart out teaching her craft to others.”
De Matteo’s mother was a playwright who wrote more than 30 plays that explored the trauma she faced as a child, and the complexity of issues such as homophobia and addiction within a family. She was named the executive director of the HB Playwright Foundation and was a founding member of the National Organization of Italian-American Women, according to People.
Donna’s Italian heritage played an important role in her life, and defined her as a person, de Matteo said.
“All of the best and worst of the Italian American experience was present in her upbringing, and she felt the whole spectrum of experiences of Italian American women,” she said.
“She devoted her life to helping women like her, and gave out scholarships so they could discover new worlds like she did.”
De Matteo, an Emmy-Award-winning actress who appeared in “Sons of Anarchy,” “Shades of Blue” and “Desperate Housewives,” credited her mother for her success in the entertainment industry.
“While I have tried to honor her in some ways in all the work I’ve done, there is still more to come.”
“My next project will look a little different … but I hope it will do even more than honor her — it will focus on her legacy and will keep her story alive to inspire future generations,” she told People.
