George Clooney’s sister Adelia ‘Ada’ Zeidler dies at 65 after cancer battle

George Clooney confirmed death of his older sister Adelia ‘Ada’ Zeidler, who died from cancer aged 65 on December 19

George Clooney’s older sister, Adelia “Ada” Zeidler, has died at the age of 65 following a battle with cancer, PEOPLE has confirmed. Zeidler died on Friday, December 19, according to the publication.

In an exclusive statement, Clooney paid tribute to his sister, describing her as a source of strength throughout her illness. “My sister, Ada, was my hero,” Clooney told PEOPLE. “She faced down cancer with courage and humour. I’ve never met anyone so brave. Amal and I will miss her terribly.”

According to her obituary, Zeidler died “peacefully surrounded by the people she loved” at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood, Kentucky. She was a longtime resident of Augusta, Kentucky.

Zeidler was born on May 2, 1960, in Los Angeles to journalist and television host Nick Clooney and writer Nina Bruce Warren. Named after her great-grandmother, she was described in her obituary as a talented artist who worked for several years as an elementary art teacher at Augusta Independent School.

During her education, she qualified as a National Merit Scholar and later became involved in her local community through a book club, the Augusta Art Guild and Augusta’s Annual White Christmas Parade, where she previously served as grand marshal.

After attending college in Louisville and Northern Kentucky, Zeidler worked as a bookkeeper. She married retired Army captain Norman Zeidler on March 14, 1987, in Augusta, with much of the local community attending the ceremony. During the wedding, George Clooney read scripture, and their aunt, singer Rosemary Clooney, performed for the couple.

Although Zeidler largely stayed out of the public eye, she attended her brother’s wedding to Amal Clooney in Venice in 2014. Her husband died in 2004 following a heart attack.

Zeidler is survived by her parents, her children Nick Zeidler and Allison Zeidler Herolaga and her husband Kenny, her brother George Clooney and his wife Amal, and extended family members.

A funeral service is scheduled for Monday, December 22, with memorials suggested to the Knoedler Memorial Library in Augusta.