The Grandes are in mourning. On Tuesday, Ariana Grande announced that her Nonna, Marjorie Grande, has died. The singer shared a statement on behalf of her family, expressing how devastated they are to mourn their “beloved matriarch.” She was 99.
“Marjorie (Nonna) Grande passed peacefully in her home and was surrounded by her family and loved ones for every moment of her last few weeks,” the statement from the family read. “We thank you for your love, support, and for respecting our privacy as we grieve and celebrate her beautiful, extraordinary life.”
Last year, Grande’s grandmother made history as the oldest person to land a song on the Hot 100, thanks to Grande’s “Ordinary Things,” at age 98. The track, which served as the closer for Eternal Sunshine, landed at Number 55 on the Billboard chart following the album’s release. In the outro, Nonna recounts feeling “like seeing daylight” after her husband would come home to see her.
Following her death, Grande’s brother Frankie shared a lengthy letter thanking Nonna for the “countless lessons you wove into my heart over the years.” He reminisced on their poker playing, dinner parties, and her teachings.
“[You taught me] how to not give a single f*ck about what anyone thinks, and most importantly, how to show up for family in a way so deep, so unwavering, that I promise you: I will carry that torch fiercely in your absence. No question. No option,” Frankie Grande wrote. “You always called me the apple of your eye, Nonna and you have always been mine.”
“I honestly don’t know how this world turns without you in it, but I do know this: I know you so well, I will never have to wonder what you’d say or think in any situation,” he added. “Your voice, your love, your spirit is forever part of me. So in that way, we’ll never be apart. I love you endlessly, my sweet Nonna.”
Frankie concluded his post by sharing how much he’ll miss his grandmother, asking that she kiss Grandpa for him. “Thank you for every moment, every lesson, every hug, every belly laugh,” he wrote, before signing off: “Forever your apple.”
After the release of Eternal Sunshine, Grande opened up about why she always recorded her grandmother when she was around her, and discussed the audio she used for “Ordinary Things.”
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“You never know what she’s gonna say and she’s the most hilarious person in the world,” Grande told Zane Lowe. “I had this, like, 30-minute voice note of her and her friend Shirley talking and, um, it was just right smack in the middle of it, and I said, ‘Oh my God, that’s the answer.’”
Grande previously shared that Nonna was actually who first introduced her to Wicked. After it came out, Grande flew to Boca Raton “to watch with Nonna.”
