Tom Cruise's tragic family loss

Tom Cruise's mother Mary Lee South died last week at the age of 80.

She passed away in her sleep after battling a long illness, according to a Monday report from TMZ.

Cruise, 54, and his three sisters were at her service held this weekend at her local Church of Scientology, according to People.

Mary Lee was last seen in Clearwater, Florida in May 2016 using a walker and looking thinner than usual.

She also appeared to have oxygen tubes attached to her.

Mary split from Tom's father, Thomas Cruise Mapother III, in 1974.

She went on to move to New Jersey and marry John 'Jack' South in 1978, when Tom was 16.

Both Mary and her husband were supportive of Tom's dreams to become an actor.

Mary previously explaining how he told them of his ambitions after he starred in a high-school production of Guys And Dolls.

She said: 'After the show, Tom came home and said he wanted to have a talk with my husband and me. 

'Tom said, 'I really feel that this is what I want to do.'

'And we both wholeheartedly agreed, because we both felt it was a God-given talent, and he should explore it because he was so enthused about it.

'So to make a long story short, we gave him our blessing and the rest is history.'

Tom enjoyed a close relationship with his mother, with a source previously explaining: 'Tom is extremely close with Mary, she's been the rock in his life for as long as he can remember.'

- Daily Mail