'Sister Wives': Meri Brown Reveals Mother Has Died 'Unexpectedly' Amid Kody Brown Marriage Drama

Sister Wives star Meri Brown revealed Saturday that her mother, Bonnie Ahlstrom, passed away [...]

Sister Wives star Meri Brown revealed Saturday that her mother, Bonnie Ahlstrom, passed away unexpectedly on Friday. She was 76 years old. The troubling loss has come at a time the TLC series continues exploring the marital discord between Meri, 50, and her husband, Kody Brown, 52. Both are former husband and wife and are currently in a spiritual union, as he is married to three other women as well. Kody Brown divorced Meri to legally wed current wife Robyn, while remaining linked to Meri through spiritual means.

Meri did not reveal Ahlstrom's cause of death. "She left us suddenly, unexpected, and extremely way too soon and I literally don't know how I'm going to do the rest of my life without her," the TLC star wrote alongside a photo of herself with her mother. "Mom, I love you beyond the words I can express here, but I know you know that. You are loved, you are missed, and I know you are so happy celebrating on the other side with dad, hugging your daughter and son who left us too soon, reuniting with your parents, and getting to know your dad. Love them all, hug them all, and be happy. Or rather, just continue filling that space around you with the light that you always do."

At the start of her tribute, Meri noted that 76 years was "not enough time for the world to feel the beautiful spirit of this beautiful woman." She noted how her mother would "drop everything" to help others. "This woman who was strong, resilient, compassionate," Meri wrote. "This woman who was a safe place to land, no matter where no matter when." Ahlstrom often appeared on Sister Wives, helping Meri run the bed and breakfast Lizzie's Heritage Inn, notes The Sun.

Thousands of Brown's followers offered their condolences in the comments section. "I'm so sorry for your loss. My prayers go out to you and your family," one fan wrote. "Oh Mari, I'm so sorry to read about the passing of your beautiful mama," another commented. "May you be wrapped in God's ever-loving comfort while you forge the strength to keep moving."

Meri is the first of Kody's four wives. She married Kody in 1990. He later married Janelle, 51, in 1993 and Christine, 48, in 1994. In 2010, he married Robyn, 42. Kody and Meri's was the only legal marriage until 2014 when she allowed him to get a divorce so he could legally marry Robyn and adopt Robyn's three children from a previous relationship. They have 18 children in total, but Mariah, 25, is the only one Kody and Meri share.

The current season of Sister Wives covers the ongoing tension between Meri and Kody. In one episode earlier this month, Meri said Kody rarely ever visited her. In a February episode, she described their marriage as "dead." However, in a recent PEOPLE interview, Meri said she would be interested in working through their problems. "For me personally, I'm not one that's going to give up," Meri told the magazine. "I'm just going to keep at it, you know? Ebb and flows in the relationship... I think that's just kind of normal."

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