NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. morning television host Robin Roberts was mourning the death of her mother on Friday, just a day after she left the "Good Morning America" show to prepare for a bone marrow transplant to treat a rare blood disorder.
Roberts left the ABC news program on Thursday, a day earlier than scheduled, to see her ailing 88-year-old mother, Lucimarian Tolliver Roberts, in Mississippi. Jeffrey W. Schneider, senior vice president of ABC News, said Lucimarian died Thursday night.
"Robin did make it to say goodbye," her co-host George Stephanopoulos told viewers on Friday's show.
Lucimarian Roberts was the first African-American to head Mississippi's board of education, according to ABC.
Roberts, who is expected to be off the air for several months, revealed in June that she had been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome - a disorder triggered by her treatment for breast cancer five years ago. Her older sister, Sally-Ann, will be the bone marrow donor. (Reporting by Patricia Reaney; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. For more information see our Acceptable Use Policy.
comments powered by Disqus