As a media personality, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has always put on a professional persona whenever he’s on-screen. But he recently showed a vulnerable side to him as he mourns the passing of his 95-year-old mother Gloria Vanderbilt, who has just died of stomach cancer last June.
Instagram Eulogy
In an Instagram post, the 52-year-old journalist paid tribute to his mother with whom he was very close with. The post showed various photos of the late socialite and heiress over the years from her youth to her old age. It ended with a close-up photo of Cooper and Vanderbilt’s hands intertwined with each other taken during her final moments.
In the caption, the journalist wrote a heartfelt message about his mother’s belief in love and its influence in her life. According to Cooper, Vanderbilt found solace and guidance in love and it was the belief in it that surrounded her during her last hours. He also reminisced about the time his mother expressed her love for him and told him that she knew she loved him from the moment he was born and would continue to do so until the moment she dies. In the end, Cooper said that that was Vanderbilt’s greatest gift to him.
The CNN host was to born Vanderbilt and Wyatt Emory Cooper, a writer and is the youngest of four siblings. His mother is part of the affluent Vanderbilt family and can trace his lineage back to Cornelius Vanderbilt, an American shipping and railroad magnate.
CNN Obituary
Aside from the Instagram post, the journalist also paid tribute to his mother by narrating a CNN obituary for her.
In the clip, Cooper said that Vanderbilt’s private and real self is so much more lovely and fascinating than what she showed people as a public persona. Saying how he always felt like his job to protect her, he described his mother as a stranded ‘visitor’ from a star that’s burned out a long time ago.
What more, Cooper said that Vanderbilt was the strongest person he’s ever met despite her not being particularly tough. Instead of developing a thick skin to protect herself from what was hurled at her, she wanted to feel both the pains and pleasures of life.
The Vanderbilt Fortune
While the journalist is mourning the loss, some people can’t help but be curious about the inheritance he may have received from his late mother. According to estimates, the famed Vanderbilt fortune has a worth of $200 million.
In the end, Cooper will not likely inherit ‘a single penny’ from his mother. But he’s totally fine with that though as Vanderbilt has actually told him before that there will be no trust fund for him. Besides, Cooper himself doesn’t believe in inheriting money and pointed out how his mother made more money all by herself than what she initially inherited.