Eva Mendes inundated with support as she shares heartfelt family update

Eva Mendes is preparing for a difficult few weeks after revealing her love/hate relationship with April.

The actress, 51, paid tribute to her late brother, Carlos Mendes, on Monday, ahead of what would have been his 62nd birthday on April 2 and nine years since he died of cancer aged 53 on April 17, 2016.

Eva took to Instagram and shared a carousel of selfies of her surrounded by a forest as she admitted that she looks for “signs” that remind her of Carlos when his birthday approaches.

“My brother would’ve had a birthday this April 2. He passed almost 9 years ago. Then, less than 2 weeks later I gave birth to our second baby,” she said, referring to her and Ryan Gosling’s youngest daughter, Amada Lee, eight. They also share Esmeralda Amada, 10.

She continued: “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 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,” Eva concluded.

Among the photos were one of Eva holding a heart-shaped rock to her chest and a heart-shaped mark on a tree.

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Eva was inundated with supportive messages from her followers, with one commenting: “He is showing you that he is always with you.”

A second said: “Sending you hugs and peace.” A third added: “Signs are SO REAL – I’ve always believed in them. I’m so sorry for your loss. Keep finding those signs.”

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Eva previously shared her “complicated relationship” with April, which not only marks her late brother’s birthday and death anniversary but also her younger daughter’s April 29, 2016, birthday.

“Oh April… I have such a complicated relationship with you,” she wrote on Instagram last year. “Tomorrow would have been my brother’s birthday….. in a couple of weeks from now is the day we lost him…”

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She added: “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.”

In 2019, Eva reflected on losing her brother and gaining a child in the same month, telling People: “It’s so tough. 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.”

Sharing her “favorite memories” of Carlos, she added: “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.”

She added: “I’m so happy that he gave me that. 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.”