Peter Fonda and Jane Fonda.Photo: Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images
Jane Fondais mourning her brotherPeter Fonda’s death — and celebrating his spirit.
Shortly after PEOPLE confirmed that her little brother haddied on Friday morning, the iconic actress, 81, spoke out about the tragedy and how she was coping with the loss.
“I have had beautiful alone time with him these last days,” she added. “He went out laughing.”
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The Fonda family confirmed the sad news about Peter’s passing in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE on Friday and said that the two-time Oscar-nominated star died after suffering respiratory failure due to lung cancer.
Peter Fonda and Jane Fonda.Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
“In one of the saddest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our hearts. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy,” they continued.
“And, while we mourn the loss of this sweet and gracious man, we also wish for all to celebrate his indomitable spirit and love of life,” the family finished. “In honor of Peter, please raise a glass to freedom.”
Only two years apart, Jane and Peter leaned on each other amid a tough childhood, which included the estrangement of their father and the suicide of their mother Frances Seymour Brokaw when they were just 12 and 10, respectively.
After their mother’s death, Jane and Peter were told that she had a heart attack and died in a hospital; their father barely spoke of the incident again. Later on, they learned that Frances had tragically killed herself on her 42nd birthday.
“It was like she’d just been erased,” Jane said. “[The Christmas after she died], Peter filled a chair with presents and a letter for her. He couldn’t stand that there was no acknowledgment of her. He was such a sensitive, sweet, vulnerable kid.”
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Like their famous father, whom Peter had reconciled with before his death, both Jane and Peter eventually went on to pursue show business and made names for themselves as actors and producers.
Peter was best known for playing the role of Wyatt in 1969’sEasy Rider, which he also produced and co-scripted. For his work on the project, Peter earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Aside fromEasy Rider, the actor starred inUlee’s Gold,The Hired Hand,The Trip,andWild Angels,opposite Nancy Sinatra and Bruce Dern.
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Throughout his lifetime, he also directed a number of projects and earned himself several accolades along the way, including four Golden Globe nominations (two of which he won), one Emmy nomination and another Oscar nomination forUlee’s Gold.
More recently, Peter was featured on television series, includingCSI: NY, Hawaii Five-O, The Blacklist, and Milo Murphy’s Law.
At the time of his death, he was in pre-production for a movie calledSkate God, expected to release in 2020, according to his IMDb. The last film he acted in wasThe Last Full Measure,which is expected to be released later this year.
Jane, meanwhile, has a number of titles under her belt but is best known for her roles inBarbarella,Klute,Book Club, and Netflix’sGrace and Frankie.
source: people.com
