Kristin Chenoweth mourns the loss of her birth mother, who she first met in 2012 at the age of 44.
The 55-year-old Broadway superstar, who was adopted as a toddler, shared the news of the death of her birth mother, Lynn, in a heartfelt Instagram tribute on Saturday.
“The angel who brought me into this world has passed away,” Chenoweth began in the caption. “Her name is Lynn. Also known as Mamalynn.’
Reflecting on their relationship of more than ten years, the Wicked star thanked Lynn for instilling her “artistic skills” in her.
“The ten-plus years that I have known her have been magical. When I met her and got to know her properly, I realized so much about myself.
“Those of us who knew her loved her light.” Her love of music and all things artistic. An artist herself!’
RIP: Kristin Chenoweth is mourning the loss of her birth mother, who she first met in 2012 at the age of 44
“The mother of beautiful Jennifer and lovely Chris,” Chenoweth added. “Man, she loved her kids!”
The Tony and Emmy-winning artist credited her birth mother with influencing her tastes in music.
“In her gut I became fans of Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan, Doyle Bramhall, Jimi Hendrix and of course Billy Ethridge – my biological father,” Chenoweth shared.
“They gave me the innate artistic talent I have today.”
In a heartfelt revelation, Chenoweth said her biological mother “prayed for me every year on my birthday, hoping that I would live the most perfect life, which of course I did.”
“I snuck off and prayed for her too and wished that one day I could say ‘thank you’ to her.” Which I did on 12/12/12. A beautiful day!’ she gushed.
Chenoweth and Lynn shared a close bond from their first meeting over a decade ago until their untimely death.
“In the end we left nothing unsaid,” she wrote. “I will miss her until the end of my days.”
“But then I’ll fly up to the sky where she’ll be waiting to greet me and she’ll say, ‘Start singing, baby girl!’ And I will.” RIP Mamalynn.’
Chenoweth was adopted at five days old by Junie Smith Chenoweth and Jerry Morris Chenoweth, both chemical engineers from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa.
The 55-year-old Broadway superstar, who was adopted as a toddler, shared the news of the death of her birth mother, Lynn, in a heartfelt Instagram tribute on Saturday
“The ten-plus years that I have known her have been magical. “So many things I realized about myself when I met her and really got to know her,” she wrote. “Those of us who knew her loved her light.” Her love of music and all things artistic. An artist herself!’
Reflecting on their relationship of more than 10 years, the “Wicked” star thanked Lynn for instilling her “artistic skills” in her.
Bond: Chenoweth and Lynn shared a close bond from their first meeting over a decade ago until their untimely death
“In the end we left nothing unsaid,” she wrote. “I will miss her until the end of my days”
“The adoption: It was never a surprise,” Chenoweth said of her adoptive parents during an appearance on the Today show in 2022. “They always said, ‘The lady who had you in her belly couldn’t take care of you like that take care of it as she wanted.” to it, and she loved you so much”
Gift of life: Chenoweth quoted her adoptive mother as speaking of her biological mother: “She gave you life, but we are allowed to give you life.”
Power of Genetics: Chenoweth revealed how she and her birth mother often strike a similar playful pose, though they never saw the other do it
In an appearance on Today in March 2022, Chenoweth shared how her parents discussed her adoption when she was a child.
“It was never a surprise,” she explained. “They always said, ‘The lady who had you in her belly couldn’t take care of you the way she wanted and she loved you so much.'”
Chenoweth continued, “That’s what my mother said: ‘She gave you life, but we are allowed to give you life.'”
The Broadway icon went on to share how she and her father described their arrival to start their family: “My dad is always like, ‘Man, did we win the lottery?’ and I’m always like, ‘No, I won the lottery .””