Mother of actress Denise Richards dies

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LONG BEACH, Calif., Nov. 30 (UPI) -- The mother of Hollywood actress Denise Richards has lost her battle with cancer, OK! magazine reported Friday.

Richards, her father, her two young daughters and other family members kept a vigil at the bedside of Richards' mother, Joni, in a Long Beach, Calif., hospital for two weeks before she died.

The actress told OK! her mom's illness has inspired her to reflect on her own life.

"I was always a people pleaser," Richards said. "And I just finally got to the point in my life after having my daughters and going through a really ugly divorce (from actor Charlie Sheen), and ... my mother (being) sick with cancer, that I've just gotten to the point where life is so short and I just want to be happy."

Richards is the latest celebrity to mourn the loss of a parent in the past several weeks.

The mothers of Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Kanye West and Jane Seymour all died recently, while Marie Osmond recently lost her dad.