'Big Fat Fabulos Life' Star Whitney Thore's Mom Passes Away, Huge Loss For TLC Family

TLCMy Big Fat Fabulous Life star, Whitney Way Thore’s mom Babs has passed away after several strokes.

The reality star shocked her fans today when she posted a sweet goodbye message to her mom Barbara Thore informing us that the beloved TV mom has passed away.

“Rest In Peace, Sweet Mommy. June 22, 1946—December 7, 2022,” began the message. “My mother died last night just as the credits rolled on her favorite movie. Dad, Hunter, and I held her as she took her last breaths. It was 10:32pm, the same exact time she brought me into this world almost forty years ago,” shared Whitney.

She went on to share that her mom’s health had been declining for some time now.

“My mom had cerebral amyloid angiopathy, which is an untreatable progressive condition caused by proteins in the blood vessels of the brain that can cause dementia, seizures, or like in my mom’s case, brain bleeding (hemorrhagic strokes). When mom had her first stroke in 2017, we were told of this and we knew that more strokes would eventually be inevitable. Mom’s second stroke was December 28, 2021 and her last was November 13, 2022.”

Fans of the show know a little bit about this as most of the recent season has focused on Whit trying to help her mom and dad adjust to life after Barbara's second stroke. For the majority of the season, Babs as they lovingly called her was in a rehab facility that was helping her to regain control of her muscles and speech again.

“My mother is our family’s greatest gift. We could never love, revere, or value another person more. If you’re reading this, you’re familiar with her magic: her southern charm, her hilarious sense of humor, her well-timed witty remarks, her beauty, and her ability to make everyone around her feel comfortable and cared for,” she writes.

“But what you can’t possibly understand is the extent of my mother’s love — what you may have witnessed and felt through a TV screen is a minute fraction that, even if multiplied by a million, wouldn’t come close to “real life.”

Babs would often throw fun, shady jabs at Whitney and her husband Glenn Thore. She would also regularly get in on the fun of dancing and singing with Whitney and her friends. It was hard to believe she was an older lady.

It was even more devastating to watch her not be able to be her true self because of what the disease had taken away from her. The difference was definitely noticed on screen and no one was there to keep overly enthusiastic Whitney in line like her mama could.

“I am the luckiest person on the planet to have been hers for almost 39 years,” continued the reality star. Because she knows how much her mother is loved by so many, Whitney thanked everyone who loved her mom as much as she does.

“We want to thank you for loving our mother. She delighted in her newfound television career more than we can describe! It gave her such a sense of purpose and excitement and something to look forward to every time the crew came around.”

Whitney insists that her mom’s disease was a blessing in disguise.

“We never had more fun or laughed as much as we did the past year. The support from all of you made her feel so loved and encouraged. We are unbelievably thankful that we’ve been able to share her with you and it is our hope that her memory will continue to be a source of comfort and happiness for the rest of your lives, just as it will be for ours.”

She ends her message with a sweet statement: “I love you, Mommy.”

Since posting the sweet tribute, the dancer has been gaining the strength to mourn from her fans and followers who are leaving messages of encouragement.

Verified

“I am so sorry, Whitney 💕 what a beautiful, sweet, ball of light she was. Sending you all so much love.”

“Sending love….RIP Babs you were light in this world.”

“Sweet Babs! We grew to love her through our TVs ❤️❤️❤️. Prayers for you and your family.”

“OH NO!!! HOW WE ALL ADORED HER.🥹”

R.I.P Sweet Babs.