Kelly Ripa mourns the devastating loss of the “funniest, toughest woman” in her life

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 11: Kelly Ripa attends the "Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events" Screening at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on January 11, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Kelly Ripa took to Instagram on Friday to share the devastating news that her dear aunt had passed away, by sharing a throwback picture of the two of them.

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“My aunt Carol passed away today after a long illness,” the “Live!” host wrote as the caption. “She wasn’t my moms sister, but her best friend. She was the funniest, toughest woman I’ve ever known. Here we are on my 1st birthday. Rest In Peace aunt Carol, you deserve it.”

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Family truly means everything to the mother of three, as she frequently shares photos and updates from her kids’ most important milestones. In fact, the family just spent a lovely vacation together in Mexico, and Ripa shared a cute picture of her children and husband Mark Consuelos.

“Mexican Unicorn Alert: A Lola Consuelos approved photo,” she wrote. “Including three smiling children and a semi relaxed husband courtesy of Jose Cuervo.”

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