Marian Robinson, the mother of former first lady Michelle Obama, has died. She was 86.
Michelle Obama confirmed Robinson’s passing to NBC News in a written statement, saying: “She passed peacefully this morning, and right now, none of us are quite sure how exactly we’ll move on without her.”
“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,” Obama penned.
Michelle Obama, 62, also shared the poignant news with her 22 million followers on X: “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.”
Barack Obama also said a few words in celebration of the life his mother-in-law.
“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, 62, told his 131 million followers on X.
Robinson, who was also the mother to Craig Robinson who played basketball at Princeton University and got his master’s degree at the University of Chicago, attained national renown during the 2008 presidential election. After Barack Obama defeated Sen. John McCain to take control of the Oval Office, Robinson moved with the president, the first lady, and her granddaughters, Malia and Sasha into the White House.
“We needed her. The girls needed her,” the family’s statement said of her move to Washington, according to People magazine. “And she ended up being our rock through it all.”
The statement continues, saying: “She relished her role as a grandmother. … And although she enforced whatever household rules we’d set for bedtime, watching TV, or eating candy, she made clear that she sided with her ‘grandbabies’ in thinking that their parents were too darn strict.”
