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James Earl Jones' wife Cecilia Hart passes away after cancer battle

Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
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James Earl Jones' wife Cecilia Hart has sadly passed away after a year-long battle with ovarian cancer. She was 68 years old. 

The actress' death was confirmed by Connecticut paper WestportNow, who reported that the family had requested that donations be made in Cecilia's name to two charities - The Actors Fund and Hudson Valley Hospice.

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james earl 2© Photo: PA

Cecilia passed away after a year-long battle with ovarian cancer

Cecilia, who was from Wyoming in the US, was married to James Earl Jones for 34 years after first meeting on the set of television show Paris in 1979, where they both played police officers. The couple were married in 1982 and shared one son, Flynn.

The accomplished actress received a Drama Desk Award nomination in 1977 for her role in Tom Stoppard's Dirty Linen, and other theatre credits included performing alongside her husband in Shakespeare's tragedy Othello. She also had a bright television career, with roles in Law & Order, MacGyver and Three's Company.

james earl 1© Photo: PA

She joined her husband at the Tony awards in June

The late actress made her final public appearance earlier this year as she joined her husband at the 2016 Tony Awards back in June.  

James, 85, briefly opened up about his wife in an interview with the Washington Post. Speaking about his own health, he said: "Rest is important, and it's hard to get on this schedule. But I try to get eight hours every night. Which is not something I’m used to. I'm used to staying up until 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock.

"But my wife feeds me well, [and] I do moderate exercise on the treadmill or the step-up, just to get the heart going."

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