Barbara “Babs” Thore — the supportive matriarch on TLC’s “My Big Fat Fabulous Life” — died Wednesday, daughter Whitney announced. She was 76.
In an emotional Instagram post, Whitney revealed her mother suffered a series of strokes, the most recent being on Nov. 13. Babs had reportedly been diagnosed with cerebral amyloid angiopathy — a disorder characterized by a build up of protein deposits in blood vessels of the brain — which Whitney said led to her mother’s strokes in 2017, 2021 and again last month.
Born June 22, 1946, Babs shares two children, Whitney and Hunter, with her longtime husband, Glenn. The family stars on “My Big Fat Fabulous Life,” which follows Whitney’s pursuit of love and happiness following a major weight gain.
While announcing her death, Whitney recalled her mother’s “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.”
“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,’” Whitney wrote.
“That’s how enormous, how generous, and how all-encompassing my mother’s love was. I am the luckiest person on the planet to have been hers for almost 39 years,” she continued.
Babs’ health struggles have been documented on “My Big Fat Fabulous Life.” The finale of the 10th season aired in October. It’s unclear if the show will be renewed. The Post reached out to TLC for comment.
