Ariana Grande mourns death of grandmother ‘Nonna’ Marjorie: ‘forever’ (2025)

Nonna Grande (left) and Ariana Grande arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014, in Inglewood, California. Image: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

Ariana Grande is mourning the death of her beloved grandmother Marjorie, whom she lovingly refers to as “Nonna,” just four months before she turned 100 years old.

Nonna’s death was confirmed by Ariana’s mother, Joan, in a statement on Instagram on Wednesday, June 18, while sharing a sepia-toned photo of the family matriarch.

“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,” the statement read.

Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@joangrande

Joan also thanked her followers for “respecting [her family’s] privacy” amid Nonna’s death.

“We thank you for your love, support, and for respecting our privacy as we grieve and celebrate her beautiful, extraordinary life,” she wrote.

Ariana reshared her mother’s statement on her Instagram Story. In a separate post, she uploaded a black-and-white wedding photo of Nonna and her grandfather Frank, who died in 2014.

“Forever,” she captioned her post.

Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@arianagrande

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A post shared by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande)

The singer-songwriter’s heartfelt post received condoling messages from her followers in the comments, including fellow celebrities Rachel Zegler, Faye Dunaway, Elizabeth Gillies, Victoria Monet, and Daniella Monet.

Image: Screenshot from Instagram/@arianagrande

Meanwhile, Frankie (Ariana’s brother) described Nonna as his “best friend” who always shows up for family and “stands in [her] truth unapologetically” on his Instagram account.

“You taught me how to love without conditions, how to dominate a three-card poker table, how to never ever take a bad picture, how to light up a dinner party just by being in the room, how to give the warmest, safest hugs, how to stand in my truth unapologetically, how to not give a single f**k about what anyone thinks, and most importantly, how to show up for family in a way so deep, so unwavering, that I promise you: I will carry that torch fiercely in your absence. No question. No option,” his post read.

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A post shared by Frankie James Grande (@frankiejgrande)

Ariana is known for being close to Nonna, with the singer-songwriter being vocal about her love for the latter on multiple occasions. In a November 2024 interview with Access Hollywood, the “positions” singer revealed that her grandmother was the second person she called after receiving the role of Glinda in the film adaptation of “Wicked.”

Nonna also made a cameo in Ariana’s song “ordinary things,” part of the latter’s 2024 album “eternal sunshine.”

After the pop star hits her final note, her Nonna said, “I mean, I could’ve packed up and left a million times. It’s not that we never fought. You can overcome that. It’s very easy… never go to bed without kissing good night. That’s the worst thing to do, don’t ever, ever do that. And if you don’t feel comfortable doing it, you’re in the wrong place — get out,” referring to her marriage with Frank.

One of Nonna’s final public appearances was in November 2024, when Ariana flew to her hometown in Boca Raton, Florida, to see “Wicked” in theaters with her grandmother and Frankie. /edv