Michelle Obama's mother Marian Robinson has died.
The former first lady takes to her Instagram May 31st
to confirm the passing of her mom,
sharing a picture of Marion smiling,
writing 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, Michelle's husband, former President Barack Obama,
takes to acts to mourn the death of his mother-in-law.
There was and will be only one Marion 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.
Marian was a lifelong Chicago resident before making the move
to Washington,
DC after her son-in-law won the presidency in 2008,
with Michelle revealing in a 2018 interview with CBS Mornings
why it was so important for her to have her
mother by her size.
Because for the girls, you know,
I wanted them to come home to family.
There was just parts of the girls lives that I
just knew were going to be OK because mom was
there.
When I traveled internationally, Grandma was there,
you know, when I wasn't home at the end of
the day,
grandma was there. As for Mary,
and she later spoke out about how living in the
White House,
with all its pomp and circumstance,
was a huge adjustment for her,
with the Southside Chicago native preferring to stick to her
humble beginnings.
You're in the whitest where they say,
Mrs. Robinson, can we get you something?
Mrs. Robinson, do you need anything?
Right? Was that a big adjustment?
It was a huge adjustment.
As a matter of fact,
that talked them into allowing me to do my own
laundry.
You were doing your own laundry.
And she taught the girls how to do their laundry.
They would go upstairs for laundry lessons.
Earlier this month, Michelle paid tribute to her family's matriarch
on Mother's Day,
sharing a sweet photo of her and her mom with
their arms wrapped around each other,
writing. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.
My mom has always been my rock,
and I'm so grateful for all the ways she continues
to show up for my family.
She's taught me so much over the years,
and I feel so lucky that I get to pass
that same wisdom down to my own girls.
Marian Robinson was 86 years old.