Filipina-American actress Mary Rivera, best known for playing the grandmother of Ned Leeds in Marvel’s ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, has died. She was 82.
According to her obituary, Rivera passed away peacefully on April 15, 2026, in Honolulu, Hawaii. A family member later told TMZ that the actress suffered a stroke, fell into a coma, and was placed on life support before her death.
Rivera won the hearts of Filipino audiences with her brief but memorable appearance in the 2021 Marvel blockbuster, where she portrayed Ned Leeds’ (Jacob Batalon) grandmother, affectionately known as “Lola.”
One of the film’s most memorable moments featured Rivera speaking in Tagalog as she asked Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man to clean the cobwebs from her ceiling.
“Ned, sabihin mo diyan sa mamang ‘yan na alisin ‘yung agiw sa sulok ha?”
Born on June 2, 1943, in Iloilo, Philippines, Rivera later became a retired church missionary before making her Hollywood debut. According to her obituary, being cast in Spider-Man: No Way Home was one of the accomplishments she was most proud of, with her family saying she was honored to represent the Filipino community on the big screen.
Rivera is survived by her husband, Alejandro Rivera, their four children, 11 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Her passing comes as the latest installment in the ‘Spider-Man’ franchise, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, is currently showing in Philippine cinemas.