She Survived a Difficult Childhood to Become One of the Biggest Celeb Icons at 72 – Her Transformation in 40+ Pics

That childhood would also be marked by loss, and the complicated love between a mother and the daughter she chose to keep.

A Teen Mother and a Sacred Goodbye

The legendary TV host’s mother was just 17, living in Mississippi with no education, no training, and no safety net when she became pregnant. Many people around her suggested giving the baby up or not having it at all. She chose differently, and decades later, her daughter would find a way to thank her for it.

In 2018, as her mother’s health was failing due to diabetes complications, she sat with her and spoke the words she had long needed to say.