Lara Spencer is mourning the loss of her beloved mother, Carolyn von Seelen.
The Good Morning America host announced the news in an Instagram post on Monday, Feb. 16, revealing that her mother died on Friday, Feb. 13 at the age of 85.
An exact cause of death was not shared, but von Seelen had previously gone through treatment for cancer after being diagnosed with a brain tumor, specifically glioblastoma, in 2023.
In her post on Monday, Spencer, 56, shared a montage of photos from throughout her mom’s life, including several shots of von Seelen posting with members of the Good Morning America family, like Michael Strahan and Robin Roberts.
“If you were lucky enough to meet my mom you know that smile that lit up every room she walked into,” Spencer began the emotional caption on the post. “What you might not have seen at first glance was her courage, resilience, endless optimism, deep faith, and boundless love for her family. She was a woman who loved a saying and used them often to help us get thru life’s challenges or painful moments.”
She went on to say, “One of her favorite was ‘don’t be sad it’s over honey—be grateful it happened.’ Sorry mama but there’s no way to not feel the pain of overwhelming sadness at the thought of not having you to share life with each day, but we sure are grateful YOU happened and showered with your love and warmth and humor.”
“Our loving mom, grandmother to 12 and great-grandmother to 4 left us on Friday the 13TH (which we know she would have gotten a kick out of)” Spencer shared, noting that von Seelen was “surrounded by her children and her beloved rescue dog to reunite with my Dad and our sister Pamela.”
“We love you always and forever mom,” the post concluded.
A number of Spencer’s ABC colleagues, as well as anchors from other morning programs, like Today‘s Jenna Bush Hager, took to the comments on Spencer’s post to offer their condolences.
“Sending you love Lara! I know how much you adored her ❤️” Bush Hager wrote.
GMA‘s Ginger Zee commented, “So sorry Lara and sending you and the entire family so much love and peace ❤️.”
A message from GMA‘s Rebecca Jarvis read, “Sending you and your family so much love, Lara. I feel so fortunate to have met her at GMA – a truly special woman with a transcendent spark. May her memory be a blessing❤️”
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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