TLC Star Mourns Heartbreaking Loss: She Was the ‘Greatest Gift’

TLC Whitney Way Thore mourned the loss of her mother, Babs Thore. She was 76 years old.

Whitney Way Thore, the star of “My Big Fat Fabulous Life,” mourned the death of her mother, Babs Thore. She was 76 years old.

Babs has been dealing with health issues since she first suffered a stroke in 2017. Her health issues were the focus of season 10 of “My Big Fat Fabulous Life.”

“Rest In Peace, Sweet Mommy,” Thore started her Instagram post. 

Thore, 39, said she was at her mother’s bedside during Babs’ final moments on December 7. Thore’s father, Glenn, and brother, Hunter, were also there.

“My mother died last night just as the credits rolled on her favorite movie,” the TLC star said. “Dad, Hunter, and I held her as she took her last breaths. It was 10:32pm, the same exact time she brought me into this world almost forty years ago.”

Thore said her mother suffered from cerebral amyloid angiopathy, an untreatable progressive condition that can cause dementia or seizures. In Babs’ case, the condition manifested in brain bleeding.

“When mom had her first stroke in 2017, we were told of this and we knew that more strokes would eventually be inevitable,” Thore explained. “Mom’s second stroke was December 28, 2021 and her last was November 13, 2022.”

Thore Said Her Mother Was the ‘Greatest Gift’

While remembering her mother, the “My Big Fat Fabulous Life” star wrote that Babs was truly treasured.

“My mother is our family’s greatest gift,” the TLC star penned. “We could never love, revere, or value another person more.”

Babs was known among fans for her charm and wit, something Thore talked about in her Instagram post:

“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.”

As much affection as fans had for Babs, Thore said they could never feel the warmth of her love.

“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,’” she said.

Babs spent her final days at Abootswood, a retirement community in North Carolina.

Thore Thanked Fans For Their Support

At the end of Thore’s lengthy message, she thanked all the TLC fans who sent their support after Babs became ill.

“We want to thank you for loving our mother,” Thore said. “She delighted in her newfound television career more than we can describe!”

“It gave her such a sense of purpose and excitement and something to look forward to every time the crew came around,” she continued. “This last year navigating life after her second stroke was, perhaps surprisingly, the best of our lives.”

“The support from all of you made her feel so loved and encouraged,” Thore added.

The “My Big Fat Fabulous Life” star said she and her mother were able to have fun and laugh this past year. In one of the last videos Thore posted with Babs, they listened to a Mystikal song from 2000. Thore liked to joke that Babs picked up “cussing” in her later years.

“We are unbelievably thankful that we’ve been able to share her with you and it is our hope that her memory will continue to be a source of comfort and happiness for the rest of your lives, just as it will be for ours,” the TLC star wrote in the final lines of her post. “I love you, Mommy.”