The Law & Order: SVU star was just three when her mother passed

Mariska Hargitay left fans emotional after she paid a rare tribute to her late mom, Jayne Mansfield, on the 55th anniversary of her tragic death.

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The star posted a gorgeous black and white photo of the Hollywood icon alongside a sweet message, which read: "We live to love you more each day". Mariska was just three years old when her mother was killed in a car crash on June 29, 1967. She was only 34.

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Fans inundated the actress with supportive messages, with one responding: "Thinking of you today, she was so beautiful, and you definitely took after her, she is always watching over you and is so proud of who you are and what you have accomplished."

A second said: "She lives on through you. She'd be so proud of you." A third added: "She's looking over you and your family," and a fourth wrote: "Beautiful mama, taking care of you every step of the way."

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Last year, Mariska spoke of her mother's death, revealing that she felt "frozen" during her childhood but subsequently turned her trauma into her "superpower".

Mariska shared this stunning photo of her late mom

"I think I learned about crisis very young, and I learned very young that [expletive] happens and there's no guarantees, and we keep going. And then we transform it," she told .

"That's been kind of my superpower, and the gift of having trauma early in life. I've spent the last 50—how old am I? — 57, so 54 years sort of trying to figure out what happened and why, and what am I supposed to do with it?"

She continued: "I clearly was in that frozen place for a lot of my childhood — of trying to survive, actually trying to survive. My life has been a process of unpeeling the layers and trust and trusting again."

Mariska as an infant with her mother Jayne Mansfield, father, and siblings

Following the tragic events, Mariska was raised by her father, Mickey Hargitay, and his third wife, Ellen Siano. The actress has previously spoken about her stepmom and the influence she had on her life.

"I called her mom," she told . "She really claimed us. She never had biological kids of her own, and to this day we are her kids.

"So, we were blessed that she really embraced us and loved us so quickly. And I was very fortunate to have a maternal figure in my life after such a horrific accident."

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