Barbara Thore Dies: ‘My Big Fat Fabulous Life’ Star Was 76
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Barbara “Babs” Thore, maybe best known as Whitney’s mom on TLC’s My Big Fat Fabulous Life, died Wednesday, her daughter announced on Instagram. She was 76.
Whitney wrote that her mom died at 10:32 PM Wednesday, “just as the credits rolled on her favorite movie” and also the exact time Whitney was born nearly 40 years ago.
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Whitney revealed her mom had been diagnosed with cerebral amyloid angiopathy, an untreatable progressive condition that can cause brain bleeding, strokes and dementia. She began having strokes in 2017 and most recently suffered a stroke on November 13.
“My mother is our family’s greatest gift,” Whitney wrote. “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. 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.'”
Thore’s health struggles were addressed on the TLC show as her disease progressed. The most recent 10th season chronicled Thore’s recovery and release from the hospital after suffering one of her strokes.
The 12-episode 10th season of My Big Fabulous Life concluded in October. There has been no word on whether it will be renewed for an 11th season.
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