Inside Michelle Obama's Heartbreaking Final Moments With Her Mom

The Obamas were America's first family from 2009 to 2017. And just like any family, they've experienced their share of tragedies that are likely to always stick with them. Michelle Obama is certainly no exception, given the fact that the former First Lady has lost both of her parents. Michelle's father, Fraser Robinson III, tragically passed away at the age of 55 back in 1991, when Michelle was in her 20s. More recently, Michelle's mother Marian Robinson died in May 2024 at the age of 86. More than a year later, Michelle would publicly reveal the details of her heartbreaking final moments with her mom.

In June 2025, Michelle sat down for an episode of NPR's "Wild Card" podcast, where she recalled the moment her mother realized she was nearing the end of her life. According to Michelle, her mother said to her, "Wow, this went fast." The former First Lady elaborated, "I held her hand and said, 'What are you talking about?' And she said, 'Life.' She said, 'This went fast.'" Michelle was naturally a bit taken aback by this, given that her mother was 86. It just goes to show that even a full life than feel like the blink of an eye. But as sad as that is, Michelle also found something empowering about it. "I hope I feel that way," she said, adding, "Even though I've been ready for it, because it's been good and purposeful. That I'll feel like, 'I wish I had more time.'"

Though Michelle Obama understandably gave herself a bit of time to grieve before sharing some of the more personal details regarding her mother's death, she certainly made it a point to publicly honor Marian Robinson shortly after her passing back on May 31, 2024. At the time, Michelle put out a joint statement on Instagram with her husband and former U.S. President Barack Obama, her brother Craig Robinson and his wife Kelly Robinson, and all of their children. "In our sadness, we are lifted up by extraordinary gift of her life. And we will spend the rest of ours trying to live up to her example," the statement read, in part.

Then, on the one-year anniversary of Marian's death in May 2025, Michelle took to Facebook to further make it clear that though her mom was gone, she wasn't forgotten. "We lost my mother a year ago, but somehow, it almost feels like she's with us more and more each day," Michelle wrote, adding, "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." She went on to explain that she was still grieving as she worked to reconcile the loss of Marian with just how much she got out of being her daughter.