Getty Comedian Kathy Griffin (L) and mother Maggie Griffin
Comedian Kathy Griffin announced on social media that her mother Maggie Griffin, who starred on her reality TV series My Life on the D-List, passed away on March 17. She was 99.
Mary Margaret “Maggie” Griffin was married to husband John Patrick Griffin from 1942 until his death in 2007. Together, they had five children, Kenny, Joyce, who passed away in 2017, Gary, who died in 2014, John, and Kathy, who was their youngest.
Griffin, 59, who married husband Randy Bick on January 1, announced the sad news via Twitter on Tuesday night. She wrote, “My Mom, the one and only, Maggie Griffin, passed away today. I am gutted. My best friend. I’m shaking. I won’t ever be prepared. I’m so grateful you guys got to be part of her life. You knew her. You loved her. She knew it. Oh, and OF COURSE she went on St Patrick’s Day.”
My Mom, the one and only, Maggie Griffin, passed away today. I am gutted. My best friend. I’m shaking. I won’t ever be prepared. I’m so grateful you guys got to be part of her life. You knew her. You loved her. She knew it. Oh, and OF COURSE she went on St Patrick’s Day. 💔💔💔
In January 2019, Kathy opened about her mother’s dementia. In a heartbreaking message on Twitter, Kathy revealed that she hasn’t been able to have a coherent conversation with her beloved mother since September.
She wrote, “Since that photo was taken, she has rapidly fallen into the throes of dementia. This is never easy for any child, I know this is a reality that millions of people deal with every year. But when it comes to my mom this is particularly hard because her sharp mind was everything.”
A) As heartbreaking as this is, I feel the need to share some important info about my mom Maggie. I’ve always been honest with you all, but this one is really hard. The pic below, taken in September, was the last time I was able to have a proper/coherent conversation with her.
Griffin tweeted, “I want to assure you all that she is not in pain and she is getting the best 24-hour care. In terms of how she is now, at this point she only knows my name and I love you. I know many of you know what that reality is like…I’m still grappling with it.”
“A big reason I’m sharing this news with you is that so many of you have asked why I haven’t posted a video of Maggie & her beloved dog Twinkle in the past few months,” Griffin added. “Now you understand why we haven’t been able to share anything, here is a moment between them from this summer.”
The beautiful tribute to her mother continued in the dedication thread. Griffin said, “What I am most proud of when I comes to My Life On The D List is that show gave me the opportunity to show the world how naturally funny my parents were. When people tell me they feel like they know my mom, I always respond ‘you do!’ She never put on a show, she was the show.”
G) If you ever met my mom and asked for a photo, you should know it was a pleasure as much for her as it was for you. She loved making people happy and making people laugh. And trust me, I know she was the bigger star…here she is at my LA show in June greeting her many fans!
Griffin joked about her mother a lot and the two would argue, but it was always clear they were incredibly close and loved each other very much. Griffin also knew so many of her fans actually liked Maggie better than her.
“If you ever met my mom and asked for a photo, you should know it was a pleasure as much for her as it was for you. She loved making people happy and making people laugh. And trust me, I know she was the bigger star.”
Maggie Griffin Was Famous For Coining The Catchphrase ‘Tip It’
Maggie Griffin and Kathy Griffin
Between 2005 and 2010, Maggie starred on My Life on the D-List with her daughter. During those six seasons, Maggie was always drinking boxed wine. And if it was hard to get the last bit of wine out the box, Maggie would yell, “Tip it!”
The catchphrase was so popular, Maggie published the book, Tip It! The World According to Maggie in 2010.
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