When Jennifer Aniston announced the death of her once-estranged mother, Nancy Dow, on Wednesday, May 25, she made a reference to her older half-brother, John Melick.
“It is with great sadness that my brother John [Melick] and I announce the passing of our mother Nancy Dow,” the Friends alum told Us Weekly in a statement. “She was 79 years old and passed peacefully surrounded by family and friends after enduring a long illness. We ask that our family’s privacy be respected as we grieve our loss.”
The actress’s mention of Melick left fans curious about who this rarely discussed family member might be.
Melick, 56, is also in the film industry, but has worked more frequently behind the scenes as an assistant director or as a production supervisor. According to his IMDb page, he has had a hand in such projects as The Sarah Silverman Program, Christmas in Palm Springs and most recently, The Tribes of Palos Verdes, which stars Jennifer Garner.
He is the son of Dow and her first husband, pianist John T. Melick. (Aniston’s father is Dow’s second husband, Days of Our Lives star John Aniston.)
Though little else is known about Aniston’s older half-brother, John T. Melick once told Celebuzz in a 2012 interview that the pair were “as close as two siblings can be.”
“[John] was not that enthused about the others,” the elder Melick told the site of the actress’ beaus before husband Justin Theroux, which included ex-husband Brad Pitt and boyfriends Tate Donovan, John Mayer and Vince Vaughn.
Aniston, 47, also has another half-brother, Alexander John “AJ” Aniston, the son of her father and his second wife, Sherry Rooney.