Robin Roberts' Mother Dies
Robin Roberts' mother, Lucimarian Tolliver Roberts, has died at the age of 88, it has been revealed.
The "Good Morning America" news anchor raised questions on Thursday when she announced that she was taking medical leave earlier than expected, and new reports suggest that the serious condition of her mother was the reason behind her early departure.
"Robin did make it [home to Mississippi], to say goodbye," Roberts' "GMA" co-anchor George Stephanopoulos said on the show Friday.
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In a note distributed amongst ABC staff members on Thursday, it was said that "Robin arrived home with her sister Sally Ann forging through flooded and blocked roads to be with her beloved Mother in time to see her."
The message went on to state "it has always been clear where Robin got her strength, faith and spirit. You didn't need to look far." [Lucimarian] "was the first African American to head Mississippi's Board of Education. She loved the written word and the poetry and joy of song. She even recorded a CD of hymns for her family as a gift last year."
The note also requested that Roberts, her mother and the entire family be kept "in our prayers and thoughts," according to People.com.
It has been a tough year for Roberts, 51, who in June revealed that she had been diagnosed with MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome) five years after successfully beating breast cancer.
The devoted Christian also announced that her sister, Sally-Ann, was deemed a perfect match for a bone marrow transplant- a procedure that will take place during Roberts' extended leave of absence.
"I've always been a fighter, and with all of your prayers and support, a winner...My doctors tell me I'm going to beat this -- and I know it's true," Roberts wrote on gma.yahoo.com.
"When I faced breast cancer, your prayers and good wishes sustained me, gave me such hope and played a major role in my recovery. In facing this new challenge, I ask humbly for more of your prayers and love – as I will keep you in my mine and update you regularly on my condition," she added.
