James Franco mourning the loss of grandmother

James Franco is mourning the loss of his grandmother Mitzie, who passed away on Sunday (01May16).

The 127 Hours actor took to Instagram on Monday (02May16) and posted a picture of him gazing lovingly at Mitzie as they both sit on a couch.

"She had a great life. Mitzie Vern, Grandma. Just the best," James, 38, wrote in the caption, followed by four heart emojis.

His touching message comes just a week after James shared a picture of him with his maternal grandmother, 93, at a hospital. He wrote, "Most people think they have the best grandmother, but I do... She lived an incredible life... She's still with us, but it's hard to watch people get older."

Mitzie, who was a month away from her 94th birthday, was also grandmother to James' younger brothers Tom and Dave, who is best known for his roles in Neighbours and Now You See Me.

Mitzie, the mother of James' mum Betsy, also shared the spotlight with the actor when she starred in a Christmas-themed Funny or Die sketch with her grandson at the Franco family home in Palo Alto, California in 2010. She called members of the public who were scared to see 127 Hours "a bunch of p**sies".

She also attended the Academy Awards when James co-hosted with Anne Hathaway in 2011. James gave Mitzie a shoutout during their joint opening monologue, by saying, "My grandma's here too, how am I doing grandma?!"

Mitzie stood up from her seat, which was next to Dave, and joked, "I just saw Marky Mark", in reference to Mark Wahlberg.

James' father Douglas passed away in 2011.