George Clooney is carrying a deeply personal lesson with him after losing his older sister, Adelia “Ada” Zeidler, to cancer. George, 65, reflected on being at his sister’s side during her final moments while accepting the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival.
Nine months after her death, the actor said the experience changed the way he thinks about time and the years people get with those they love.
George Clooney Remembers His Sister’s Final Moments
“My sister, who I was very close to, got cancer last year, and she died very quickly,” George said in remarks captured in video shared by Hello magazine from the event.
“I was with her when she died, and there was this feeling being with her, holding her hand when she died, understanding how brief all of this is. It was minutes ago that she and I were little kids together. Minutes ago, we were holding hands as little kids.”
Ada was 65 when she died in December. The siblings had remained close even as George built a decades-long career that included films such as “Ocean’s Eleven.”
For George, sitting beside Ada at the end brought childhood memories rushing back and left him thinking about how quickly a lifetime can pass.
George Clooney Says Her Death Changed His Outlook on Life
George told the audience that his sister’s death reinforced his determination to seek happiness rather than take time for granted.
“Time goes fast, all of this, and so we have to find nothing but joy,” he continued. “Find joy in the things that make them miserable. You have to find joy. You have to seek joy out, and you have to demand it, and you have to make sure that you demand it of yourself. That’s it.”
He also reflected on the uncertainty surrounding what comes after life.
“Because look, I don’t know what happens after we die,” George added.
“Nobody I know has yet to come back and tell me exactly how it works out. So, I know this life. And for this life, you have to seek joy. And you have to try to find it for your family and your friends.”
George Clooney Previously Called Ada His ‘Hero’
After Ada’s death, George paid tribute to her strength in a statement with People at the time. “My sister, Ada, was my hero,” he said. “She faced down cancer with courage and humor. I’ve never met anyone so brave.”
George said he and his wife, Amal Clooney, would miss her deeply.
Ada largely stayed outside the Hollywood spotlight. Her obituary remembered her as an accomplished artist who spent several years teaching elementary school art at Augusta Independent School in Kentucky.
George Clooney and Ada Maintained a Close Bond
Despite her brother’s fame, Ada previously described a relationship that remained grounded in ordinary sibling communication. In a 2012 interview with The Columbus Dispatch, she explained why she deliberately avoided storing George’s number in her cellphone.
“I wouldn’t want to have it in my phone and then lose my phone,” she said. “He can phone me, and he does occasionally, but email is more convenient for both of us.”
George, who shares 9-year-old twins Alexander and Ella with Amal, now says the loss has made one priority unmistakably clear: making the time he has with family and friends count.
