Michelle Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson, died on May 31, 2024, at the age of 86, according to CNN. Although Robinson lived a long and fulfilling life, and even moved into the White hHouse during son-in-law Barack Obama’s two-term presidency, her last days on earth were quite tragic. In fact, her daughter Michelle revealed on the “Wild Card” podcast that she navigated unspecified illnesses during her final days. “The last year of my mom’s life, she was sick,” Michelle explained (via NPR). “Her body was just shutting down for a number of various reasons. And her last bout of illness, she was with me in Hawaii, in our home in Hawaii, which was a blessing, right? Because she was forced to let me take care of her.”

Unfortunately, Robinson felt like a burden while under her daughter’s care, and longed to return to her hometown of Chicago. “And ooh, I had doctors and nurses and everybody coming in and we had her diet and I was bossing her around and she was mad and she was, ‘I just wanna go home. And I was like, ‘But you can’t, you’re stuck with me,'” Michelle admitted. “I could just take care of her. And she got better and went back to Chicago.” Robinson also contemplated mortality near the end of her life, leaving Michelle with a poignant set of words that she’ll probably never forget. “And this woman that prepared me for death and talked to me about all this stuff and was like, ‘I’m ready to die — old people are around too long, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.’ She leaned over to me, and she said, ‘Wow, this went fast.’ And I held her hand, I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ And she said, ‘Life.’ She said, ‘This went fast.’ And this was the woman who was ready.”

May 31, 2025 marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Michelle Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson. To commemorate the date, Michelle took to Facebook to post a sweet tribute in her honor. “We lost my mother a year ago, but somehow, it almost feels like she’s with us more and more each day,” the former first lady, wrote alongside photos of her and Robinson. “I notice it in the way I channel her when I’m giving advice to my daughters, or catching up with my brother Craig, or sitting down for dinner with Barack. She’s not with us, but she is.” However, Michelle also admitted that her “grief hasn’t been straightforward,” and that the loss of Robinson sometimes hit her like a wave “again and again.” Some days, however, she’s “buoyed by the strength she fostered in me. And most days, I’m just thankful to have had the chance to learn from her at all.”

On those inevitable days, when emotions might be too overwhelming for Michelle, at least she has the humor of her husband, former President Barack Obama, to help her deal with things. During a May 2025 episode of the “IMO” podcast, which Michelle co-hosts with her brother, Craig Robinson, the former first lady revealed that her other half often jokes she’s “next up.” “That’s sort of the darned thing about being a grown-up,” said Michelle (via USA Today). When you lose your parents, you’re next up. I guess if anything with mom’s loss, I thank God you’re my big brother and I have a husband who’s older.” She continued, “Because Barack was saying, ‘Well, you’re next up.’ And I was like, ‘I’m not really ready to be next up.’ I told him, ‘You’re next up. And Craig is next up.'”

Well, a little dark humor never hurt anybody.