George Clooney has shared the heartbreaking news that his sister, Adelia "Ada" Zeidler, has died at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer.
Ada died on Friday December 19, and George called Ada his "hero" in an emotional tribute.
"My sister, Ada, was my hero," the actor told People magazine. "She faced down cancer with courage and humor. I’ve never met anyone so brave. Amal and I will miss her terribly."
© Robino SalvatoreAda died "peacefully surrounded by the people she loved" at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood, Kentucky, according to her obituary.
"A talented artist, she shared her skills as an elementary art teacher at Augusta Independent School for several years," it read."In high school, her academic achievements qualified her to be a National Merit Scholar. Her love for reading connected her with other readers in a local book club. She was also a member of the Augusta Art Guild and was a past grand marshal of Augusta’s Annual White Christmas Parade."
© Action Press/ShutterstockAda attended college in Louisville and Northern Kentucky and worked as a bookkeeper, spending her life in the family's hometown of Augusta.
She married Norman Zeidler, a retired army captain in 1987; he passed away in October 2004 of a sudden heart attack.
George was just a year younger than Ada, and so they were raised as close friends.
In a 2006 interview, George and Ada's mom said: "I came home from work one day and George and our daughter and several friends were having a party in [a room of our house]. They had taken [marshmallows], and they would lick one side of them, and throw them at each other. When I came in, there were marshmallows stuck all over the room."
Although Ada maintained a private life despite her brother's fame, she did attend his A-list wedding to Amal in Venice, 2014, where she partied with his friends including Matt Damon, Emily Blunt & John Krasinski, Cindy Crawford & Rande Gerber, Bono, Bill Murray, and Anna Wintour.
Ada is mom to two children: son Nick Zeidler, and daughter Allison and her husband, Kenny Herolaga.
A Funeral Mass will be offered at 12:00 Noon on Monday, December 22, 2025, and memorials are suggested to the Knoedler Memorial Library, 315 Main Street, Augusta, Kentucky, 41002.
