Angelina Jolie is deeply "upset" following her aunt's death.
The actress recently lost her aunt Debbie Martin - who was the younger sister of her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand - to breast cancer and her passing is said to have had a profound effect on Angelina, especially as she recently underwent double mastectomy surgery to reduce her own chances of developing breast cancer.
The brunette beauty's cousin Francis Bertrand - whose father Raleigh, Angelina's uncle, also died of cancer - said: "It's horrible timing as she's just had the surgery. It's been hard for her but she has a wonderful family too and they are with her. We are a very close family. We are in constant contact with Angie. She's been upset by this, as we all have. She loved her and they were close."
Angelina's relatives on her mother's side carry the deadly BRCA1 cancer gene and the 'Salt' actress was diagnosed as having an 87 per cent risk of breast cancer and a 50 per cent risk of ovarian cancer.
Debbie, 61, was said to have been like a second mother to the 37-year-old star and "urged" her to be tested for the cancerous gene.
A source added to the new UK issue of Grazia magazine: "Debbie urged Angelina to have the BRCA1 gene test. It gave Debbie a great sense of peace in her last days knowing that Angelina had saved herself and that's a small bit of relief from this heartbreaking situation."
Although Debbie had her ovaries removed, she was unable to undergo mastectomy surgery like her niece, resulting in her death, according to Francis, 27, who adds that cancer has "devastated" his family.
He said: "She did have her ovaries removed, however, she didn't have the opportunity Angie had to have the breast operation first.
"My father passed away in 2009 and Marcheline [in 2007], so it's close to Angie and our family. We are aware of taking action towards preventing it. It has devastated our family, so we support what Angie has done, of course."
Angelina is thought to have missed her aunt's funeral this past weekend as she was in London with fiancé Brad Pitt - with whom she has who has six children, Maddox, 11, Pax, nine, Zahara, eight, Shiloh, six, and four-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne - for the world premiere of his new movie 'World War Z'.
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