Gisele Bündchen's mother dies at 75 after cancer battle
NFL star Tom Brady's ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen, announced the loss of her mother over the weekend.
According to the Daily Mail, Vânia Nonnenmacher, 75, died after a hard-fought battle with cancer, according to reports.
She reportedly passed away at Hospital Moinhos de Vento in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
#BREAKING Gisele Bundchen's mom 'dead at 75' - Vania Nonnenmacher 'dies in Brazilian hospital after cancer battle'https://t.co/Gn8RjPtmJ8 https://t.co/Gn8RjPtmJ8 pic.twitter.com/HLuxWnngmA
— The US Sun (@TheSunUS) January 28, 2024
Nonnenmacher, who was of German descent and a Brazilian national, built a career in the banking industry and was retired at the time of her death. She reportedly worked for Banco do Brasil.
Gisele was one of six siblings in the family Nonnenmacher built with university professor Valdir Bündchen. The other siblings include Patrícia, Rafaela, Raquel, Graziela and Gabriela.
The Daily Mail noted:
A wake is scheduled for Monday morning at the Ecumenical Chapel of the Metropolitan Crematorium in Porto Alegre. A farewell ceremony will be held after.
Gisele was reportedly close with her mother and once appeared on a magazine cover together. One of the last social media posts about her mother, a Mother's Day tribute, made it clear how close the two were.
"Mom, thank you for being an example of love and strength, of dedication and patience, of integrity and kindness," Gisele wrote.
She added, "Thank you for giving me amazing sisters, and for always supporting me in the best way that you could. Thank you for giving me life—and thank you for being my sweet mama. You know how much I love you!"
In September of last year, Gisele opened up about caring for her ailing parents in a People magazine interview.
"It's been very tough on my family," the supermodel said. "It's been a lot — in every area of my life. I feel like whenever it rains, it pours. With all the different twists and turns that life takes, all we can do is the best we can given what happens in our surroundings."
A blog post from 2010 written by Gisele also highlighted how much she looked up to her mother.
"I grew up witnessing my mother always trying her best at doing all she could for the six of us girls. My mom devoted her entire life to her family and did it with such grace," she wrote. "She is my hero. She is the reason why I believe a woman is the core of a family … I can only hope to be for my kids what she will and always be for us … Our rock."