Mary Kay Letourneau Dead At 58

Mary Kay Letourneau died on Monday after battling stage 4 cancer. She was 58.

The former teacher made headlines in the late ’90s (she was 34 at the time) after being convicted of raping her sixth grade student, 13-year-old Vili Fualaau, whom she would later go on to marry after serving over seven years in prison. A year after their affair started, the two (pictured above) welcomed their first daughter together, Audrey, while she awaited sentencing. In 1998, another year later, she gave birth to their second child, Georgia, behind bars.

Letourneau and Fualaau wed after her release from jail in 2005, but filed for legal separation in 2017. The divorce was only finalized earlier this year.

Mary Kay’s son, Steven Letourneau Jr., from her previous marriage, released a statement on her passing to NBC News on behalf of the Fualaau and Letourneau families:

“We are deeply saddened to share the very difficult news that our beloved Mary passed away peacefully on July 6th 2020 after a six month battle since being diagnosed with stage IV, or metastatic, cancer. Mary fought tirelessly against this terrible disease. It is in that spirit that we ask for privacy and respect for our desire to focus on the road ahead for all of us who make up Mary’s collective family. We ask that our boundaries and need for privacy be honored with continued kindness and understanding.”

More words came from her heartbroken family, explaining how they cared for Mary Kay in her final days. Stating to writer Danielle Bacher, they shared:

“Mary, and all of us, found great strength in having our immediate and extended family members together to join her in this arduous struggle. We did our very best to care for Mary and one another as we kept her close and stayed close together.”

The family continued:

“We are endlessly grateful for the care and kindness received from the amazing professionals involved in Mary’s care. Likewise, the kindness and compassion of friends and others who learned of her condition along the way proved an uplifting gift to us all. It is in that spirit that we ask for privacy and respect for our desire to focus on the road ahead for all of us who make up Mary’s collective family. We ask that our boundaries and need for privacy be honored with continued kindness and understanding.”

Her attorney David Gehrke also spoke to Today, revealing Vili was still by her side as she battled cancer, saying:

“Vili moved back from California, gave up his life there, and for the last two months of Mary’s life he stood by her 24/7 taking care of her. So yes, they were divorced and they had their spats, but they were always in love with each other. [Fualaau] knew that this was Mary’s end coming, fast moving, and for her sake and the family’s sake, and for his sake, he came back up and was with her, and it meant the world to her. And I know it meant the world to Vili, as painful as it was.”

Mary Kay is survived by her four children with ex-husband Steve Letourneau, including Steven Jr., Claire, Nicholas, and Jacqueline, as well as her two daughters with ex-husband Vili.

[Image via YouTube]