Mother of actor Sean Penn passes away

The Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn's mother Eileen Ryan sadly passed away at the age of 94 on Sunday at her home in Malibu, a representative for the star announced.

The legendary actress made several appearances in over 60 television shows and films over her decades-long career. However, she was mother to actor Sean, 62, musician Michael Penn, 64, and late actor Chris Penn, who passed away at age 40 in 2006 from cardiomyopathy.

She was married to actor and director Leo Penn from 1957 until his death in 1998.

Sharing a picture on Twitter, the heartbroken oldest of Ryan's three sons, Michael tweeted alongside a photo of his mother and a broken heart emoji on Monday: 'We lost mom yesterday.'

Her stage name Eileen Ryan comes from her real first name Eileen and her mother's maiden name Ryan.

Apart from her shows Eileen used to attend red-carpet events with Sean and his friends, such as Julia Roberts, while she also made appearances in several of his movies including I Am Sam.

Born in New York in 1927, Eileen was the daughter of Rose Isabel, a nurse, and Amerigo Giuseppe Annucci, a dentist.

In 1957 she married Leo Penn, an actor and active union member, who was blacklisted from the late 1940s to the late 1950s.