Mary Rivera, who portrayed Ned Leeds' grandmother in the 2021 movie Spider-Man: No Way Home, died on April 15 in Honolulu, Hawaii, at age 82, according to her family.
A relative told TMZ on Monday that Rivera suffered a stroke that left her in extremely serious condition. Doctors told relatives that she faced a grim prognosis if she emerged from her coma, leading her family to make the decision to remove her from life support.
Moviegoers recognized Rivera for a scene in which she ordered Spider-Man, played by Andrew Garfield, to clean up cobwebs while speaking in Tagalog, leaving Ned, played by Jacob Batalon, to translate her words.
Rivera's relative told TMZ she was extremely proud of her role in the film, describing it as one of the proudest accomplishments of a good life.
Casting and Career
In May 2022, her daughter Angie Kelly told Hawaiʻi Public Radio how she first learned of the part via social media. "I happened to be on a friend's Facebook scrolling," Kelly said, "and I see an ad, a casting call looking for a local Hawaiʻi Filipina grandmother between the age of 50 and 90."
Kelly added, "And immediately I thought, 'Oh, well my mom qualifies and checks off all those boxes.'"
Kelly said her mother was hesitant at first but recorded an audition tape with a relative's help and sent it to casting officials. "They just asked her to talk about herself and why she wanted to do the role," Kelly said. "My mom has worn many hats over the years. She was a radio broadcaster, a teacher, but most notable was her role as a mother and grandmother."
Kelly spoke about the public recognition her mother received after her appearance in the movie. "It's been an amazing adventure," she said. "To us, she's just my mom. But to the rest of the world, she's Ned's Lola."
Cultural Legacy and Family
"It's humbling really, because never before in cinematic history really has there been a place for the Filipino language and culture," Kelly said. "They did a really good job with paying attention to the details of our culture."
According to her obituary, Rivera was born in Iloilo, Philippines, on June 2, 1943, to late parents Vicente and Felicia Egida.
A celebration of life ceremony was held on June 6 at Trinity Central Oahu Church in Mililani Mauka, Hawaii. Her family said her remains were cremated following her passing.
Rivera is survived by her husband Alejandro, four children, 11 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
