RHOBH: Lisa Rinna Recalls the ‘Hardest Decision’ to Not Keep Mom Lois Alive After Suffering Stroke
“I’m still in shock,” Rinna shared of her mother’s death at 93, as the show celebrated the life of Lois
Lisa Rinna was forced to relive the painful decision to end her mother’s life in hospice during this week’s episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Tuesday’s episode was recorded right after Lisa, 58, had to say goodbye to her mom, Lois, who died in November 2021 at age 93 after suffering a stroke.
Lois was a staple on the show, appearing often with Lisa dancing, singing and giving advice to the other ladies. The hilarious grandmother even filmed a photo shoot in 2019 with Lisa and her daughters Amelia Gray Hamlin, 20, and Delilah Belle Hamlin, 23 which was shown on the Bravo series.
In a confessional, Lisa said of her mom, “She was 93-and-a-half. You knew it was coming, but you want to keep your love one alive, if you can.”
Speaking about her mother’s final wishes, Lisa said Lois was clear about what she wanted: “No feeding tube, no resuscitation. Nothing.”
Still, though, there was nothing easy about the goodbye for the Rinna Beauty founder.
“The hardest decision in that moment was… making a decision to not keep her alive. It’s really hard,” she said through tears.
As old clips of the mother-daughter duo were shown on screen, Lisa continued of her mom: “The world loved her and to be able to have shared her with the world is a great gift. I hold that very close to my heart.”
She added: “She was such a good, good human being. She was just such a light. I’m pretty lucky that I come from that.”
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Later in the episode, Lisa returned home to her friends, who were extra supportive of her after being away from the 90210 zip code for a week while tying up necessary loose ends for Lois.
During their conversation, Lisa said she was thankful her daughter Delilah made it just in time to say goodbye to her beloved grandmother, which her friends were in agreement about.
“I had it with my grandmother and it is what set me up for feeling like she was always with me,” Dorit Kemsley told Lisa.
“100 percent,” added Kyle Richards.
Erika Girardi joined their conversation, which prompted Lisa to assure everyone that this was going to be a “happy time” for them all to remember Lois. Garcelle Beauvais also came to support Lisa and celebrate the life of Lois.
“Having lived through my own trauma, it’s really nice to be around people who can make you laugh, support you,” Dorit said.
Ahead of the episode, Lisa opened up about navigating grief after losing Lois. She also addressed how she returned to filming just one week after Lois’s passing — something she “felt really guilty” about it, but acknowledged that her mother would want her to keep moving forward.
“Grief is a tricky little devil. in a week or so, my Mom will pass on the show and I am not looking forward to reliving this but I’m trying to accept what is,” the actress wrote on her Instagram Story. “I find it so interesting that rage has been so ever present for me during this time. I wonder if any of you have felt like that during the grieving process? I am having a very hard time but I’m trying to just allow space for all of the feelings.”
Continued Rinna: “This is probably the hardest thing I have ever been through. I send so much love and support to all that are going through this and on Memorial Day I thank all the souls who gave their lives for our freedom.”
“Yes our show is a job, and it is my job to show up and so I did,” she later added. “I don’t remember a lot of the time spent on the trip to Mexico, it’s a total blur. I was in shock most of the time but my Mom would have wanted me to go and be with the women and I’m glad I did. They were all so amazing and so supportive.”
“It’s very odd to me to know that I will be sharing my grief process on the show but I’m actually so glad I did and do,” she continued. “I’ve had so many beautiful messages from so many people because grief is something that we just aren’t taught to talk about and I think it’s my job to really share my experience so I’m gonna share it all with you. It’s not easy.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
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