Michelle Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson, Dies Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Lois Shields Robinson, dies at 86 Former first lady Michelle Obama said her mother was ‘my rock:' ‘I simply wouldn’t be who I am today without her.’ Marian Robinson, the mother of former first lady Michelle Obama, has died, according to a statement from the Obama and Robinson families. She was 86. “As a sister, aunt, cousin, neighbor, and friend to so many, she was beloved beyond words by countless others whose lives were improved by her presence,” the statement from Barack and Michelle Obama, Craig and Kelly Robinson, and their children said in part. “She passed peacefully this morning, and right now, none of us are quite sure how exactly we’ll move on without her,” the statement said. Michelle Obama posted on social media, “My mom Marian Robinson was my rock, always there for whatever I needed. She was...