Anderson Cooper Remembers His Mother Gloria Vanderbilt On 1-Year Anniversary Of Her Death

On Wednesday, Anderson Cooper remembered his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, on the one-year anniversary of her death. Vanderbilt died on June 17, 2019, at the age of 95.

Cooper paid tribute to his mother by posting a host of photos on his Instagram account and story. He captioned a photo of Vanderbilt sitting next to an easel saying, “My mom, @gloriavanderbilt, died one year ago today. She is alive in my heart and in the hearts of all who knew her and loved her. She had an extraordinary and indomitable spirit, grit, determination, passion, and vulnerability. She experienced great love and horrific tragedies, but she never lost her almost childlike optimism; her openness to the world around her. She chose to remain vulnerable. Others would have closed off their hearts, protected themselves. My mom wanted to see and hear and feel everything….and that is exactly what she did. Bravo, Mom, Bravo. @gloriavanderbiltstudio @gloriavanderbilt (photo credit @joshgaddy).”

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Cooper also shared a series of photos and videos of his mother on his Instagram story.

Vanderbilt died of advanced cancer in her stomach that had spread throughout her body before being detected. She died in her Manhattan home with loved ones at her side.

Cooper confirmed his mother’s death last year on CNN. He said, “Earlier this month, we had to take her to the hospital. That’s where we learned she had very advanced cancer in her stomach and that it had spread. When the doctor told her she had cancer, she was silent for a while, and then she said, ‘Well, it’s like that old song: Show me the way to get out of this world, because that’s where everything is.’”

Earlier this month, Cooper shared with People that his mother helped him decide to become a dad this past year. “She was thrilled,” Cooper said. “I told her maybe two weeks before she died. When she started to get ill, it was very quick. [Son Wyatt Morgan, 6 weeks] was just an idea in my head and a desire — but I thought, ‘This is the time to tell her.'”

Cooper continued, “We had this incredible last few weeks of her life where we spent every day together, just talking and watching TV, listening to music, laughing and telling stories. She said instantly, ‘Of course it’s going to be a boy.’”

“I didn’t say that I would name him after my dad, but she knew that’s what it would be — and she knew that if it was a girl, she would be named after her,” Cooper finished.