• Wion
  • /World
  • /Michelle Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson, dies at 86

Michelle Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson, dies at 86

Michelle Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson, dies at 86

Michelle Obama with her mother Marian Robinson.

Marian Robinson, the mother of former First Lady Michelle Obama, has passed away at the age of 86, according to a statement from the Obama and Robinson families.

“As a sister, aunt, cousin, neighbor, and friend to so many, she was beloved beyond words by countless others whose lives were improved by her presence,” the statement from Barack and Michelle Obama, Craig and Kelly Robinson, and their children said in part.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

“She passed peacefully this morning, and right now, none of us are quite sure how exactly we’ll move on without her,” the statement said.

The former First Lady Michelle Obama posted on social media, “My mom Marian Robinson was my rock, always there for whatever I needed. She was the same steady backstop for our entire family, and we are heartbroken to share she passed away today.”

“There was and will be only one Marian Robinson. In our sadness, we are lifted up by the extraordinary gift of her life. And we will spend the rest of ours trying to live up to her example,” Barack Obama wrote on X.

During the Obamas' time at the White House, Robinson lived with them and was often seen at events with the first family, including distributing goodie bags to trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

The family’s statement said of her move to Washington, “We needed her. The girls needed her and she ended up being our rock through it all.”

Robinson was a native of Chicagowhere she returned after the Obamas left the White House.She was married to Fraser Robinson, and the pair had two children, Michelle and Craig. Fraser Robinson died in 1991 after a long struggle with multiple sclerosis.

Years after the 2018 unveiling of the Obamas’ portraits at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, Michelle Obama recalled the profound impact of her mother's reaction when she took her to the museum after hours.

“It was silent and I was looking at my mom sitting at the base of my portrait and look up at it with such a level of awe,” Michelle said when the portraits were temporarily moved to Chicago.

“And for me, watching her see me in that way meant the world to me,” Michelle Obama said.

(With inputs from agencies)