Heartbreaking pictures that expose true pain of Brad Pitt's divided family as his parents react to Angelina Jolie's children dropping his name

• READ MORE: Angelina Jolie gives rare update on her six children and their future

Pictures of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's children enjoying quality time with his family reveal just how close they were before the couple's bitter divorce sparked close to a decade-long lack of contact.

Brad, 60, has been estranged from his daughter Shiloh, 18, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16, as well as his three adopted children Maddox, 23, Pax, 20 and Zahara, 19, since an explosive fight on their private jet in 2016 resulted in Angelina, 49, filing for divorce.

The estrangement has not only crushed the actor, but also his parents William and Jane Pitt, who have desperately tried to maintain a relationship over the years, sending birthday and Christmas cards to no avail.

Now, insiders have shed light on how the lack of contact has been felt by members of Brad's wider family, including his nieces and nephews, who are also mourning the close bond they once shared with their cousins.

'When it went down with Brad, his family was hyper focused on him getting help for his alcoholism,' an insider told DailyMail.com. 

'The Pitt’s tried their best to keep in touch with the children but some members of his family struggled to contain their frustration with the fallout and as a result, Angelina cut the kids off.

'The kids were young, so any contact had to go through their mom. And now, almost nine years later, they have no relationship.' 

Shortly after their split, Brad admitted he had a drinking problem and entered therapy, spending a year-and-a-half in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Then in 2020, he publicly thanked pal Bradley Cooper for helping him to get sober.

For William, also known as Bill, 83, and Jane, 84, all their attempts to try and maintain a relationship with their beloved grandchildren has so far been in vain.

'His parents still send cards at Christmas and for birthdays even though they get no response,' the insider continued. 

Bill and Jane, who was incredibly fond Brad's first wife Jennifer Aniston, are also parents to Doug Pitt and Julie Neal, whose children they are close to.

Doug has Sydney, Landon and Regan with his wife Lisa, while Julie is mom to Caleb, twin daughters Josie and Rylie, as well as adopted sons Caden and Cruz, whom she shares with her husband Scott Neal.

The close knit family regularly share images with their cousins and grandparents on Instagram, with Brad's children featuring frequently in past posts - something that stopped in the wake of his split from Angelina.

Brad's niece Sydney appeared to voice her sadness at the lack of contact with her cousins in February 2017 when she shared a picture of Knox and Vivienne in Santa Barbara and wrote: 'Missing my babies & this place a little more than usual today.' 

Revealing how close the family had once been, the source added: 'They would go to Missouri for family gatherings several times a year and spend weeks together at Brad’s California home in the summer. 

'It was so important to Brad for the kids to know their cousins especially when Angelina is estranged from her dad and brother.'

Images taken over the years show the children spending time at Brad's $20million oceanfront estate with their cousins during family vacations. 

They were dealt fresh heartache when Zahara dropped 'Pitt' from her last name in November 2023, before Vivienne followed suit in June this year. Shiloh joined them in August when she paid for her own lawyer to officially ditch 'Pitt.'

'The Pitt family are close-knit, and they wear their last name like a badge of honor,' the source explained. 'The fact that some of Brad’s children have chosen to drop this is mind-boggling. The family can’t understand it.'

They added: 'Granted, Shi was showing solidarity with her mom, but it was made clear where she stands.'

But despite this, the family 'will continue to keep their doors open' and are hopeful that 'some of the kids will be able to see the importance of family as they get older and will reach out.' 

A source close to Angelina said: 'She has not blocked communication of any kind. The kids send Christmas and birthday gifts to their grandparents, and they have seen them and been in touch.'

Bill and Jane were last pictured in public with their grandchildren at the 2014 premiere for Angelina's movie, Unbroken.

Brad took the children and his parents along to the Hollywood premiere in place of the actress - who had come down with a case of chickenpox.

Jane had nothing but praise for Angelina at the time and told reporters: 'We're so very proud of Angie. This means so much to our family, especially our grandchildren. We love her dearly.'

Angelina had talked fondly of Brad's parents in the past for how they had accepted her adopted children.

'When I first met them I came in with two adopted children from other countries and I didn't know how they were going to be,' she said. 'But they are equally loving with them.'

By 2016, the Maleficent actress had filed for divorce after only two years of marriage and familial relations were seemingly severed. 

Three years later in 2019, Brad and Angelina were declared legally single. However, the stars are still embroiled in an ongoing battle over their Chateau Miraval estate.

Brad's relationship with his children has deteriorated to the point where he has 'virtually no contact' with the eldest three. 

The actress has been accused of deliberately trying to drive a wedge between Brad and their six children over the years. 

After she walked arm-in-arm with Knox at the Governors Awards on Monday, a source told DailyMail.com that Brad feels she has turned their brood against him.

'Of course, it bothers him that Angelina has turned them against him,' they said. 'She did this while they were all young and they didn’t even get a chance to make up their minds about him.

'He believes that, in time, his children will come back into his life.'

Back in May, former British SAS solider Tony Webb, who worked for the family for more than 20 years from 2000, claimed that his colleague told him he overheard Angelina 'encouraging the children to avoid spending time with Pitt during custody visits.' 

Court filings lodged at LA Superior Court detailing the explosive claims were made public as part of the ongoing 'War of the Roses', with the A-List couple stuck in a battle over her rights to sell their French vineyard. 

The former power couple - who wed at the Provence, Southern France estate in 2014 – are set to face off in court next year.