Jolie aunt dies of breast cancer

Angelina Jolie died Sunday of breast cancer less than two weeks after Jolie had a double mastectomy to prevent the disease.

Debbie Martin died at age 61 in a hospital in Escondido, California, near San Diego, her husband, Ron Martin, told The Associated Press.

Debbie Martin was the younger sister of Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, whose own death from ovarian cancer in 2007 inspired by the surgery described Jolie May 14 in an opinion piece in the New York Times.

According to her husband, Debbie Martin had the same defective BRCA1 gene Jolie ago, but did not know until after his 2004 cancer diagnosis.

"If we had known, would certainly have done exactly what Angelina did," Ron Martin, said in a telephone interview.

Debbie Martin's death was first reported by E! News.

Ron Martin said after breast cancer, Debbie Martin had their ovaries preventively because she was also very high genetic risk for ovarian cancer, which has killed several women in her family.

The 37-year-old Jolie said in his column that his doctors are estimated to have a 50 percent risk of developing ovarian cancer, but a 87 percent risk of breast cancer.

Her breasts were removed first by reducing the likelihood that only 5 percent.

She describes the three-step surgical procedure in detail in the opinion piece "because I hope other women can benefit from my experience."

The story, a surprise to most save those closest to Jolie, stimulated a broad discussion of genetic testing and preventive surgery.

A message left Jolie's representatives seeking comment was not immediately returned.