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Broadway star Ariana DeBose<\/strong> is mourning the death of her mom, Gina Michelle DeBose<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Ariana, best known for her roles in Steven Spielberg<\/strong>\u2019s West Side Story <\/i>and Hamilton<\/i>, announced her mother\u2019s passing on Tuesday, August 19.<\/p>\n According to Ariana, Gina died \u201cat 10:28 a.m. on August 17.\u201d The 57-year-old, who Ariana described as \u201cgorgeous, hilarious, outspoken, a warrior queen,\u201d died following \u201ccomplications with stage 3 ovarian cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t be more proud of her and how she fought this insidious disease over the past 3 years,\u201d Ariana, 34, wrote on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n The performer called her mom her \u201cfavorite person, my biggest fan and toughest critic.\u201d Gina was her \u201cbest friend.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was my date to every important moment in my professional and personal life. And I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way,\u201d Ariana continued. \u201cIt had always been the two of us for as long as I can remember.\u201d<\/p>\n Ariana remembered her mom\u2019s fight to give her \u201ca good life, a good education and every opportunity in the world. I wouldn\u2019t be where I am without her. I meant it when I said my Oscar \u2018is just as much hers as it is mine.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Ariana was referring to her acceptance speech after winning the Oscar for Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in West Side Story <\/i>in 2022.<\/p>\n The first person<\/a> she hugged before going on stage to accept her award was her mom, Gina. As she thanked the many people in her life while holding her Oscar, Ariana said, \u201cI\u2019m going to wrap this up and talk about my family, my mother, who is here tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMama, I love you with my whole heart,\u201d she continued. \u201cThis is as much yours as it is mine.\u201d<\/p>\n Ariana noted her mom\u2019s love of painting, playing cards, good music and snuggling her cars. \u201cBut her life\u2019s purpose,\u201d Ariana wrote, \u201caside from being my mom, was educating young people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe passed just shy of delivering 30 years of service as a public school teacher (most currently 8th grade social studies),\u201d the proud daughter continued. \u201cAnd, my god, did she thrive in a classroom. Her creativity knew no bounds. She was beloved and incredibly respected by her colleagues and students alike. The greatest advocate for the underdog, a believer in arts education and the smartest person I know \u2013 with a willingness to speak her mind regardless of the consequences. But she was also a heart forward individual who believed in hard work, compassion and empathy in the same breath.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know that many people in her community will feel the loss of her deeply for she was her own brand of local celebrity. She was a force of epic proportion,\u201d Ariana wrote, saying that personally her greatest achievement was making her mom proud.<\/p>\n \u201cI love you mommy. Now travel amongst the seas, the winds and the angels as I know you always loved to do.\u201d<\/p>\n In a slide of her Instagram post, Ariana encouraged those who would like to honor Gina to donate to The National Ovarian Cancer Society<\/a>, OVARIES. TALK ABOUT THEM<\/a>, and TEAL DIVA<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n