Angelina Jolie is a mother of six, but sadly, her own mother is no longer with us. Marcheline Bertrand passed away in 2007 after being diagnosed with breast cancer, and the devastating loss had a huge impact on her star daughter.

Jolie has kept her mother’s legacy alive for years, but the scars of Marcheline’s passing remain. At a premiere of the Toronto International Film Festival, the now 50-year-old actress choked up while recalling a heartbreaking memory her mom told her during her cancer journey.

Angelina Jolie was born in 1975 to parents Marcheline Bertrand and Jon Voight. Her father, a well-known actor, had met her mother in Los Angeles, as Marcheline was pursuing her own acting career. The couple welcomed both Angelina and her brother, James, but sadly, they divorced when Jolie was only three years old.

Marcheline became a single mother and raised both Angelina and James on her own. Their relationship was extremely strong, lasting all the way until the heartbreaking day Marcheline passed away. In 1999, Jolie’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. On January 27, 2007, she passed away aged 56.

Jolie had a close and loving relationship with her mother, and since her passing, the actress has continued to keep her mom’s legacy alive. A year after her death, in 2008, Jolie spoke to Vanity Fair about how the tragedy impacted her, as well as her views on motherhood. Angelina has six children, whom she shares with Brad Pitt.

“When [my mother] passed, I realized that somebody who lives life with that kind of dedication to their family is the most noble,” Angelina Jolie said. “In her passing she reminded me what matters. And what’s most fun — to put yourself aside for these other little people you’re raising.”