Kiefer Sutherland pays tribute to 'extraordinary' mother, actress Shirley Douglas, dead at 86

Veteran actress Shirley Douglas has died at 86 of pneumonia, actor son Kiefer Sutherland announced on Twitter Sunday, paying tribute to his "extraordinary" mother.

"Early this morning my mother, Shirley Douglas, passed away due to complications surrounding pneumonia," Sutherland wrote in his Twitter statement, making it clear her death was not related to the coronavirus. "My mother was an extraordinary women who lived an extraordinary life. Sadly, she had been battling for her health for quite some time and we, as a family, knew this day was coming."

The longtime Toronto-based actress Douglas was married to actor Donald Sutherland from 1966 until 1971, with twin children, Kiefer and Rachel. Her granddaughter is "Veep" star Sarah Sutherland, her father was former Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas, the founder of Canada's Medicare system.

The actress appeared as Mrs. Starch in director Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita" (1962) and in David Cronenberg's "Dead Ringers" (1988) and as a widowed mother during the Depression in the television drama "Wind at My Back" (1996). She won a Gemini Award for her performance in the 1999 TV film "Shadow Lake."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kiefer Sutherland's mother, actress Shirley Douglas, dies at 86