Brooke Shields' mother Teri Shields has died in Manhattan aged 79 after suffering from long illness. A spokesperson for the Hollywood actress told the New York Times that Teri - who had dementia - had passed away last Wednesday (October 31, 2012).

According to the Los Angeles Times, Teri "exerted an iron fist" on managing her daughter's career from the time she was 11 months old. Though their relationship was thought to have soured in later years, Shields said in a statement, "My mother was an enormous part of my life and of who I am today.I loved her, laughed with her, and respected her. And although she had her share of struggles, she was my mom." As a baby, Brooke was paid $25 to pose for a soap commercial, before going on to work for Breck, Band-Aids and Colgate. In the 1978 movie Pretty Baby, she played a teenage prostitute, and went onto appear in a couple of provocative Calvin Klein.  "It's only a role", she said of the film, "I'm not going to grow up and be a prostitute."

As well as her movie and modelling work, Shields has also starred on television shows such as Suddenly Susan, That 70's Show and Lipstick Jungle. She was a close friend of the late musician Michael Jackson.