Buddy Valastro, Cake Boss star and everyone's favorite celebrity baker, has suffered a heartbreaking loss. This morning he used a sweet Instagram photo to share the news that his mother, Mary, has passed away from ALS at the age of 69.
“It’s with an extremely heavy heart that I must share the news of my mother’s passing. She left for heaven this morning, surrounded by the family,” Valastro, 50, captioned the photo of he and his mom. “This is a difficult time for all of us and I do ask for your patience and respect while we let this sink in.”
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Valastro explained that his mom passed away after a battle with ALS, and he takes comfort in the fact that she's no longer suffering.
“I hope she’s dancing to ‘I Will Survive’ with my dad right now," he added. Valastro's father, Bartolo Valastro Sr., died from lung cancer in 1994 when he was just 54 years old.
Valastro shared the news of Mary's diagnosis on the Season 5 summer finale of Cake Boss in 2012. “You come first, no matter how busy, no matter what’s going on,” the baker told his mom during the emotional episode. “I will stop the world to come to you.”
The Cake Boss star has consistently expressed his gratitude to his parents, and Valastro credits his late father with teaching him the work ethic that's made the baker so successful.
"[My dad] had me work from the bottom up,” Valastro told The National in 2014. "It was important to him that I learn every aspect of the business from dishwashing to decorating. I started out helping him and learning from the way he did things.”
Our thoughts are with Valastro during this painful time.