Marjorie Grande, Ariana Grande’s beloved “Nonna,” has died. She was 99.
The Grande family announced her death on social media on Tuesday.
“We are devastated to share that the beloved matriarch of our family has passed away. 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,” they wrote in the post. “We thank you for your love, support and for respecting our privacy as we grieve and celebrate her beautiful, extraordinary life. Love, The Grandes.”
The mother of Joan Grande, Marjorie had two children with her late husband Frank Grande, Judy and Joan. She has three grandchildren, including Ariana and her brother Frankie, and Judy’s sole daughter, Lani.
Frankie paid tribute to his late grandmother on Instagram, writing, “I love you endlessly, my sweet Nonna. I miss you more than words can hold. My heart is shattered, but I feel you watching over me, already so proud of everything I’ve done and all that is about to come.”
Marjorie, who would have turned 100 in October, was an avid supporter of Ariana’s robust career, and the Oscar nominee was outspoken about her love for her grandmother. After Wicked came out last year, the “we can’t be friends” singer shared a photo of herself, her grandmother and her brother on her Instagram Stories, where she noted that she “flew to boca [raton, Florida] for a day to watch [Wicked] with Nonna.”
Ariana, too, has tapped Marjorie throughout her career as an award-winning musical artist. During her 2018 performance of “God is a woman,” Ariana graced the stage alongside Marjorie, Joan and Lani, and she has notably also appeared in her musical discography. She is credited as the only featured artist on the closing track of her 2024 album eternal sunshine.
Marjorie’s feature on “ordinary things” was historical, making her the senior-most artist to ever appear on the Billboard Hot 100 after debuting at No. 55. Ariana commemorated the feat on Instagram at the time, writing, “celebrating the one and only, most beautiful Nonna who has now made history for being the senior most person to ever appear on the @billboard Hot100,” alongside a photo of her Nonna posing with a plaque of the record.
In the outro of the song, Marjorie shares advice from her marriage to Frank. “I mean, I could’ve packed up and left a million times / You know? It’s not that we never fought, You can overcome that, You know? It-it’s very easy / And as I told her, never go to bed without kissin’ goodnight / That’s the worst thing to do, don’t ever, ever do that / And if you can’t, and if you don’t feel comfortable doing it / You’re in the wrong place, get out,” she says on the track.
Survivors include her daughters; Joan and Judy, and her grandchildren; Lani, Frankie and Ariana.
