Mary Rivera, the actress who appeared as Ned Leeds’ Filipino grandmother in the blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home, has died at the age of 82.
Rivera passed away in April in Honolulu, Hawaii, after suffering a stroke that left her in a coma. According to a family member, doctors advised that her chances of recovery were poor, prompting the family to make the difficult decision to remove her from life support.
She was later cremated.
Although her appearance in the 2021 Marvel film remains her only credited acting role, Rivera left a lasting impression on audiences with her memorable performance as Ned’s grandmother, affectionately known as “Lola.”
One of her most memorable scenes featured her speaking Tagalog while asking Peter Parker, played by Andrew Garfield, to remove cobwebs from the ceiling. After Ned, portrayed by Jacob Batalon, translated her request, Garfield’s character happily obliged, creating one of the film’s light-hearted moments. Rivera also shared screen time with Tom Holland and Zendaya.
A family member told TMZ that Rivera took great pride in being part of the Marvel production.
Spider-Man: No Way Home became both a critical and commercial success, earning about $1.9 billion worldwide to emerge as the highest-grossing film of 2021.
Rivera is survived by her husband, Alejandro, their children, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
