What happened to Eva Mendes brother? Actress pays tribute to Juan Carlos Mendes 9 years after his death

Eva Mendes is paying tribute to her brother, Juan Carlos Mendes, 9 years after he died.

The Hitch actress took to Instagram this week to reflect on how she's keeping her older brother's legacy alive, almost a decade after he succumbed to cancer. The older Mendes died on April 17, 2016, at the age of 53— just two weeks after his birthday.

Coupled with a few selfies she took while on a stroll in the woods, the Place Beyond the Pines star penned in her caption:

"My brother would’ve had a birthday this April 2. He passed almost 9 years ago." She added, "Then, less than 2 weeks later, I gave birth to our second baby. "When his birthday nears, I start to look for signs that could be him. Of course, this can all be in my head, but I would rather not believe that. It’s not as beautiful. "So, here I am, starting to see hearts everywhere and feeling him a little extra right now. More to come, I’m sure."

In the first photo, Eva Mendes can be seen holding a heart-shaped rock to her chest, and in the last, there's a heart-shaped hole in a tree. Eva's younger brother, Carlo Mendes, 47, commented on the post: "I miss him so much."

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Eva Mendes reflects on how she lost her brother and gave birth to her second daughter within 12 days of each other:

In the days following her brother's demise, Eva Mendes detailed the struggles of mourning a loved one just 12 days before she welcomed her and Ryan Gosling's second child. The mother of two, who shares daughters Esmeralda, 10, and Amada, 8, with the 44-year-old star, told Latina in 2016:

"We had a funeral service for him and that same week I had the baby. "It was really, really intense and obviously beyond heartbreaking, but also kind of beautiful." She added, "My older little girl is not yet 2 years old. My little one is still an infant, and right now it's really about surviving those nights and trying to enjoy this time as much as possible with them."

She also credited her family for helping her with coping:

"Losing my brother brought our family closer, and we were already close to begin with," she said. "So to just see everybody be there for one another and show up, I feel so lucky to have them."

Back in November 2019, Eva Mendes reflected on the timing of her brother's death and her second daughter's birth, telling People Magazine it was a "tough" situation for her:

"It's so tough," she said at the time. "Thank God I had my baby; it was a week after he passed. So there was something to move forward. There was poetry to it all."

Reflecting on one of her 'favorite memories' with her brother, she said:

"My favorite memories are when he used to, at Thanksgiving or a big dinner or Christmas dinner, roast everybody — but roast you hard. 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," she continued. "I don't think I could carry it on the way he did, but those are some fun memories because he would really get raw."

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Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling welcomed Esmeralda back in September 2014 and their second daughter, Amada, in April 2016.