Clint Eastwood’s former lover, Roxanne Tunis, with whom he fathered daughter Kimber Eastwood during a 14-year affair, has died aged 93.
The Scranton, Pennsylvania native, actress and dancer died on June 23, according to documents verified by Radar.
“My mother passed away after a short illness,” Kimber, 59, said in a statement to RadarOnline.com on Monday.
She told the outlet that the 93-year-old Oscar winner was upset by the news and offered her condolences to her and his grandson.
“He’s just as sad as I am,” Kimber said of the legendary actor and director.
UPDATE: Clint Eastwood’s former lover, Roxanne Tunis, with whom he fathered daughter Kimber Eastwood, has died aged 93. The actor was pictured in NYC in 2013
The actress and dancer, who died June 23, had a 14-year affair with Eastwood. She was pictured with Kimbra and her grandson Clinton Gaddie on May 5, 1997 in Camarillo, California
An insider told the outlet that Tunis was “one of Clint’s true loves” and that they “cultivated a healthy relationship… right to the end.”
The Unforgiven star was “devastated at the loss and at his daughter Kimber,” the source said.
Eastwood and Tunis’ relationship began in 1964 when the ‘The Bridges of Madison County’ star was married to his first wife, Maggie Johnson, according to Radar. (The couple, who have children Kyle and Allison together, separated in 1984 after 34 years of marriage.)
Eastwood and Tunis met while working on the TV show Rawhide in 1959 and he had briefly split from Johnson amid the extramarital romance.
According to sources, Eastwood and Tunis’ romance lasted 14 years, and she starred in his 1978 action comedy Every Which Way But Loose.
In 1964, scandal erupted around Tinseltown’s mainstay when his full name, Clinton Eastwood Jr., was published on her birth certificate.
A source told Radar that “Roxanne adored soil.” [Clint] went on” and “didn’t give a damn that Clint was a star.”
“She was never impressed with all that money and fame.” All she ever wanted was to have and keep Clint Eastwood, the man.
Kimber and her famous father were pictured at an event in LA in December 2018
Kimber, 59, said in a statement to RadarOnline.com on Monday: “My mother passed away after a short illness.” Pictured in 1997
The Oscar-winning actress, 93, was upset by the news, Kimber said, sending her and his grandson his condolences. Pictured in Atlanta in 2019
A longtime TV industry veteran told the site that Eastwood and Tunis did little to hide their relationship.
“On set, they were very open about being lovers,” the insider said. “After Clint finished a scene, he sauntered over to Roxanne and sauntered across the set with his arm lovingly around her.
“She was usually in his locker room. Through his influence, he transformed her from a concubine to a supporting actress.’
A 1992 National Enquirer report quoted a source as saying Eastwood told Tunis he “would not leave his wife to marry her” after she informed him in the mid-1960s that she was pregnant may be.
“He told her that she would take good care of her and the baby financially,” the source told the outlet. “In return, he wanted absolute secrecy from Roxanne.”
Tunis first became interested in acting and dancing in her teens and early 20s, and eventually moved to Los Angeles in her late 20s to pursue her dreams, sources told the magazine.
According to Kimber, she was also interested in transcendental meditation, healthy food, and vegan nutrition.
Kimber said her mother “loved to paint, draw, write and travel.”
“She loved to paint, draw, write and travel,” Kimber told the outlet. “She was a devoted daughter, mother, grandmother, sister, friend and deeply religious. “Our lives have changed forever.”
During her career, Tunis has also appeared in such films as 1963’s ‘Take Her, She’s Mine’, 1986’s ‘Blue City’ and 1973’s ‘Breezy’ (directed by Eastwood), according to iMDb; and 1968’s Hang ‘Em High, which starred Eastwood.
Aside from her romance with Eastwood, Tunis was also married to the late Jack Watson Scheck Jr.
Eastwood was also married to his wife Dina Eastwood from 1996 to 2014.