Marian Robinson, mother of former First Lady Michelle Obama, quietly passed away at age eighty‑six, her family announced. In a statement shared with NBC News, the Obamas and Robinson’s grandchildren—Avery, Leslie, Malia, Sasha, Austin, and Aaron—along with Craig Robinson and his wife Kelly, said, “She passed away peacefully this morning. None of us can quite imagine how to move forward without her.”
Marian Robinson first moved into the White House residence in 2009 to help care for her granddaughters, Malia and Sasha, after Barack Obama’s historic 2008 presidential victory. Though her profile remained low, she quickly became a beloved fixture: attending East Room concerts, joining holiday gatherings, and traveling abroad on occasion. Yet she always returned to the private quarters she shared with her granddaughters, where she helped set bedtime routines, moderated screen time, and occasionally sided with the girls when they complained their parents were “too strict.”
Born in 1937 and raised on Chicago’s South Side, Robinson devoted her life to family. After her husband Fraser’s death from multiple sclerosis in 1991, she raised Michelle and Craig and later welcomed her two granddaughters into her home—and into her heart. “I knew their mother and father were under enormous pressure,” she told CBS in 2012. “I wanted to be here for them—and for my grandchildren’s safety.”
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden paid tribute on Saturday, saying, “We were blessed by her gentle smile and warm embrace. Mrs. Robinson knew what truly mattered—family, loyalty, and love.” They extended their “deepest condolences” to Michelle, Craig, Barack, Kelly, and the six grandchildren she helped raise.
Despite life in the global spotlight, Robinson insisted on simple comforts. She reportedly persuaded White House staff to let her do her own laundry and spent rare free moments watching TV by the window overlooking the Washington Monument. “She never quite understood all the fuss,” Barack Obama once joked, calling her “the least pretentious person I know.”
In May, Michelle Obama dedicated an exhibit at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago in her mother’s honor. “She taught me to think for myself, to find my voice, and to know my worth,” Michelle said. “Without her, I would not be who I am today.”
“This remarkable woman leaves behind a legacy of love and resilience,” her family wrote. “We will miss her every day—and carry forward the lessons she taught us.” Robinson is survived by her children, grandchildren, and a world forever changed by her quiet strength.