LOS ANGELES (AP) — The mother of comedian Kathy Griffin, who inspired many of the jokes in her famous daughter’s standup routines, has died. Maggie Griffin was 99.
“My Mom, the one and only, Maggie Griffin, passed away” Tuesday, Kathy Griffin tweeted. “I am gutted. My best friend. I’m shaking. I won’t ever be prepared.”
My Mom, the one and only, Maggie Griffin, passed away today. I am gutted. My best friend. I’m shaking. I won’t ever be prepared. I’m so grateful you guys got to be part of her life. You knew her. You loved her. She knew it. Oh, and OF COURSE she went on St Patrick’s Day. 💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/l9IZHuIWLb
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) March 18, 2020
The sweet, impish and quick-tongued Maggie Griffin was a frequent presence in her daughter’s reality show, “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List,” in the early 2000s. More often than not, she was holding a glass of wine.
Addressing her fans, the comedian said in her tweet: “I’m so grateful you guys got to be part of her life. You knew her. You loved her. She knew it.
“Oh, and OF COURSE she went on St Patrick’s Day,” Griffin went on, followed by three broken-heart emojis.
Griffin revealed on Twitter in January 2019 that her mother had “rapidly fallen into the throes of dementia.”
B) Since that photo was taken, she has rapidly fallen into the throes of dementia. This is never easy for any child, I know this is a reality that millions of people deal with every year. But when it comes to my mom this is particularly hard because her sharp mind was everything.
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) January 3, 2019
“This is never easy for any child, I know this is a reality that millions of people deal with every year,” the comedian wrote. “But when it comes to my mom this is particularly hard because her sharp mind was everything.”
Kathy Griffin’s father and Maggie’s husband, John, died in 2007.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less