Oscar-winning actor Clint Eastwood is mourning the loss of his long-time girlfriend Christina Sandera.

Her death, confirmed on July 19, was attributed to a heart attack, with the Monterey County Health Department listing cardiac arrhythmia, an abnormal heart rhythm, and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease as contributing factors. At the time of her passing, Sandera was 61.

She and Eastwood, the iconic Dirty Harry actor, were a couple for the past decade.

Eastwood paid his tributes to his late partner in a heartfelt statement shared through the local Carmel Pine Cone newspaper. “Christina was a lovely, caring woman, and I will miss her very much,” he wrote.

Their relationship started shortly after Eastwood’s nearly 20-year marriage to his second wife, Dina, ended. The couple often kept their romance private.

They reportedly met when Sanders was a hostess at his Mission Ranch Hotel and Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, which later became their sanctuary.