“Dirty Dancing” Star Jennifer Grey Announces Her Mom Has Died ‘by Her Own Choosing’ After Cancer Diagnosis
“Dirty Dancing” Star Jennifer Grey Announces Her Mom Has Died ‘by Her Own Choosing’ After Cancer Diagnosis
Adam EnglandThu, July 9, 2026 at 2:48 PM UTC
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Jo Wilder; Jennifer GreyCredit: Jennifer Grey/Instagram -
Jennifer Grey’s mother, Jo Wilder, has died at age 94
She died “on her own terms” on Saturday, July 4, a week after learning she had lung cancer, Grey said in a touching Instagram tribute
Wilder shared Grey and a son, chef James Katz, with her ex-husband Joel Grey, and was an actress before starting a family
Jennifer Grey‘s mother, Jo Wilder, has died at age 94.
The Dirty Dancing actress, 66, revealed the sad news in a poignant Instagram post, explaining that her mom had died “on her own terms” on Saturday, July 4, after learning a week before that she had lung cancer.
“My mother, Jo Wilder, passed away on July 4th at 94 — by her own choosing, on her own terms, exactly as she lived,” she wrote. “True to who she was, she chose grace over fear, understanding that leaving this world with dignity is an honor, not a tragedy.”
Grey paid tribute to her “gorgeous and talented” mom, who she said was a “promising young actress on the New York stage” before starting a family with her ex-husband, the actor Joel Grey. Alongside their daughter, the couple also share a son, James Katz, who works as a chef.
Jennifer Grey and Jo WilderCredit: Jennifer Grey/Instagram
Grey explained that her mother used to say she became a mom instead of “answering that calling” as an actress, but continued: “If she’d chosen ambition over my brother and me, we never would have had the mother we had. Her passion found other outlets: she was a lifelong activist, fiercely attuned to right and wrong. And for years, many people discovered her extraordinary eye through Wilder Place, her store on Melrose.”
She concluded, “She was brave and deep. I love you, Mom. Thank you for showing me how to do it all, even this, with grace.”
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Jennifer Grey and Jo WilderCredit: Jennifer Grey/Instagram
Alongside the tender tribute, Grey shared a series of throwback black-and-white and sepia photos of her mom, including two in which she was photographed with her daughter.
Famous friends including Richard E. Grant, Maggie Wheeler and Tracy Pollan all offered their condolences to Grey and her family. Pollan has been friends with Grey since their teenage years.
Jo Wilder, Jennifer Grey and Joel Grey during the premiere of ‘Dirty Dancing’ in 1987Credit: Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Grey’s ex-husband, Clark Gregg, also paid his respects by leaving three heart emojis on her post.
Grey, who’s working on a Dirty Dancing sequel almost four decades after the original movie, has often posted photos of her mom on Instagram to mark occasions like her birthday and Mother’s Day in recent years, and she told PEOPLE in 2022 that she spoke to both of her parents every day.
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In May 2024, Grey marked Mother’s Day that year by posting a photo of her smiling mom on Instagram, writing in the caption, “Had the best time today with my brother and this 92-year-old beauty!”
A year earlier, Grey shared an Instagram photo of herself pushing Wilder in a wheelchair next to an illuminated sign reading “Mom” and a balloon display. “And it all started with this ol’ bird!” she captioned the post at the time.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
