"This is heartbreaking": My Big Fat Fabulous Life fans react to Whitney's mom Babs' demise

My Big Fat Fabulous Life star Whitney Thore's mother, Barbara (Babs), passed away at 76 on Wednesday, December 7. Whitney herself informed the sad news on social media on December 8 while trying to share all the positive stories about her mother's life.

Barbara has been facing medical issues for quite some time now, having had a stroke, Covid 19, and an infection in just a couple of months. She was able to battle all her medical issues. In the social media post, Whitney stated that her mother passed away from the aftereffects of having cerebral amyloid angiopathy, an untreatable condition that causes dementia and seizures.

Whitney shared that her mother faced a hemorrhagic stroke due to the same issue. She also shared that having a stroke in such a medical condition was inevitable. Fans flooded Twitter to pay tribute to Babs and shared they felt heartbroken by the news after seeing Babs on My Big Fat Fabulous Life for the past seven years.

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Fans say Babs was the highlight of My Big Fat Fabulous Life show

Babs was surrounded by her loved ones (her husband Glenn, son Hunter, and daughter Whitney) when she passed away. Whitney said that Babs was their family's greatest gift and that she made everyone around her feel comfortable and cared for. Whitney thanked fans for loving Babs for many years and said her new television career gave her a sense of purpose and excitement.

Whitney also shared a very intimate moment of the family in the post. She revealed that Babs passed away when her favorite movie's credits started to roll at around 10.32 pm, almost when Whitney was born. While Barbara was ill last year, Whitney revealed it was surprisingly the best year of their lives, filled with fun and laughter.

Fans prayed for Barbara and said that she was indeed the star of My Big Fat Fabulous Life.

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Babs was a model before marrying

Babs used to appear in almost every episode of My Big Fat Fabulous Life with her husband Glenn. Born on June 2022, 1946, Barbara grew up in Greensboro and went to school and college in her hometown. She was a model in her early days but became a housewife. Babs started dating her ex-husband when she was 17, and her first marriage lasted four years.

Babs kept her past relationship hidden from her children for many years. She has been married to Glenn, father to her two children, for the past 45 years. Barbara had her first stroke in 2017 when she was diagnosed with cerebral amyloid angiopathy, a medical issue caused by proteins in the brain. Babs' second stroke was on December 28, 2021, and her last was on November 13, 2022.

In season 10, Whitney was seen getting concerned about her mother's stroke and was even afraid to go anywhere without her. Babs had to stay in the ICU for quite some time and used to eat via a feeding tube when she had her second stroke.

It is unclear if TLC's My Big Fat Fabulous Life will feature intimate and sad moments for the Thore family, but it will have some storyline on the show with the family trying to overcome the loss.