Film & TV3 min(s) read
Published 09:34 04 Aug 2026 GMT
A Spider-Man: No Way Home actress has died after suffering a stroke, at the age of 82.
Mary Rivera, best known for her role in the 2021 superhero film, was on life support following the medical emergency.
Her family was ultimately forced to make the tough decision to remove her from life support earlier this year.
The actor's obituary detailed that Rivera passed away on April 15 in Honolulu, Hawaii, before being cremated.
Speaking to TMZ, a family member of Rivera's revealed that doctors weren't hopeful of her worsening condition.
They warned that she was in an extremely serious state after the stroke, and even if she did wake from the coma, "her prognosis would not be good."
As a result of the advice, her family chose to take her off life support.
Many Marvel fans who caught the latest Spider-Man film, Brand New Day, will have noticed that Rivera wasn't around.
She originally appeared in the film's prequel as the Filipino grandmother of Peter Parker's best friend Ned Leeds, portrayed by Jacob Batalon.
In fact, Rivera was part of one of the film's most memorable moments, which likely resulted in raptures in the cinema you were in.
For those who may have forgotten, Rivera spoke in Tagalog after Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man appeared through a portal and came into Ned's home.
She hilariously asked, as per Ned's translation, if he could climb onto the ceiling and clean a cobweb from a corner that was hard-to-reach, which he reluctantly agrees to do.
Speaking about the late actress, her family further told the publication that she was "extremely proud" of appearing in the Marvel blockbuster.
Rivera's relatives encouraged her to audition for the title, with her appearance becoming one of her biggest achievements.
Rivera was born on June 2, 1943, in Iloilo, Philippines, before later settling in Hawaii, USA.
Her online obituary page has been flooded with tributes following news of her death, as one wrote: “Love you, miss you Nanay. My memories with you are vast and long, beginning with you telling me to say: ‘Biva Marcos Lopez’ as a toddler, to three generations taking Cover Look photos, to saying goodbye. Imagining you watching us.”
Another said: “Tita Mary, as my mentor and colleague, you will be missed tremendously.
“My deepest and most heartfelt sympathies go out to the Rivera family during this difficult time.”
Rivera is survived by her husband, Alejandro, and their four children, Carmela Jones, Paul Rivera, Edwin Rivera, and Angela Kelly.
In addition, she also had 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
While we won't see her again in the Spider-Man franchise, it's fair to say that she left her mark on the MCU.
