pre-noun adjectival
Formal or literary pre-noun modifier used before nouns referring to people who have passed away, such as 父, 母, 妻, 夫, 人. Conveys a respectful, somewhat solemn tone.
Following the wishes of my late father, I became a doctor.
I cherish the memories of my departed wife.
deceased friend
after one's death
one's late mother; deceased mother
late father; one's deceased father
Derived from the classical Japanese adjective 亡し (なし), meaning 'dead' or 'gone', which is the attributive form 亡き used as a pre-noun modifier in modern Japanese.