Real Housewives of Miami Star Elsa Patton, 84, Dies After 'Long Illness'
One of the Real Housewives‘ most notorious mothers has died.
Elsa Patton — the Havana-born mother of Real Housewives of Miami star Marysol Patton who became a recurring star in her own right during the former Bravo franchise’s three-season run — died over the weekend, PEOPLE can confirm. She was 84.
“Our beloved Elsa Patton passed away over Mother’s Day weekend after a long illness,” Marysol said in a statement to NBC Miami. “She was surrounded by her family and close friends.”
“The family is so very grateful to the many fans and friends who have continued to ask for her and offer their prayers and best wishes,” Marysol’s statement continued.
Known to audiences as “Mama Elsa,” the reality personality and her collection of flowing caftans gave RHOM some of its most memorable moments — especially when it came to her unusually spiritual practices as a seer to Miami’s A-listers. (“I’m a witch!” she would often tell people). Her hilarious one-liners and love of plastic surgery even earned her a BravoTV web series called Havana Elsa, which followed her as she attempted to start her own coffee chain.
Elsa’s health took a turn for the worse in RHOM‘s third and final season, which aired in 2013. Viewers learned during the season that Elsa had suffered a stroke.
“She still has a way to go, but when I see her feisty spirit, I know she is on her way back to her old self,” Marysol told Bravo’s The Daily Dish in October 2013, of her mother’s recovery.
In addition to Marysol, Elsa is survived by son Thomas Anthony Jones, daughter-in-law Svetlana, and grandson Hunter.
Her husband Donald Patton, who she was married to for 50 years, died in February 2018.
Private funeral services for Elsa will take place in Miami on Friday, NBC Miami reported.
