The Tragic Loss Of Eva Mendes' Brother

For Eva Mendes, losing her older brother Carlos Mendes was just one of the many heartbreaking tragedies she's had to heal from in her life. Carlos was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and drew from his family's tremendous support to fight the disease. At the 2015 Hollywood Stands up to Cancer event, which was designed to create more awareness about Cancer prevention, Eva opened up to a crowd of her peers about her brother's health struggles. Sadly, Carlos succumbed to the illness on April 17, 2016, at 53 years old, leaving behind two children. Some of Carlos' and Eva's other family members include Eva's older sister Janet, and their youngest sibling Carlo.

As heartbroken as Eva and her family were, Carlos continued being a positive influence on the Mendes clan even after his departure. "Losing my brother brought our family closer, and we were already close to begin with," Mendes said in an interview with Today. She also added, "It was really, really intense and obviously beyond heartbreaking, but also kind of beautiful." Additionally, Carlos gave Eva a treasure trove of memories for her to cherish. Although her favorite memory of him was one she continues to keep alive during the Holiday season. "My favorite memories are when he used to, at Thanksgiving or a big dinner or Christmas dinner, roast everybody — but roast you hard," she told People. "Of course, I miss him incredibly, and that's an understatement, but I'm holding on to that tradition. I'm so happy that he gave me that."

Eva Mendes may have lost a family member when her older brother died, but she gained another not too long afterward. Eva's relationship timeline with her husband Ryan Gosling indicates that they were together during Carlos' initial fight with Cancer. The celebrity couple gave birth to their first daughter, Amada Lee, on September 12, 2014. Later on, they gave birth to another daughter, who they named Esmeralda Amada, on April 29, 2016 — only a week after Carlos' passing. Esmeralda's timing couldn't have been more perfect for the Gosling household, since she immediately helped Eva with her grief. "There was poetry to it all," she said.

But reflecting on the coincidence, Eva couldn't help but have mixed feelings towards the month of April. She wrote a post on Instagram that paid tribute to her daughter and late brother, while also addressing her love-hate relationship with the month that changed her life. "Tomorrow would have been my brother's birthday.....in a couple of weeks from now is the day we lost him...but then, the end of April we got the biggest blessing of all, my little girl was born 8 years ago. I hate you April. But I love you more," she said.