Abby Lee Miller’s Mother Dies At Age 86; Maryen Lorrain Miller, The Original ‘Dance Mom,’ Passes After Cancer Battle

Sad news for “Dance Moms” fans: Abby Lee Miller’s mother, Maryen Lorrain Miller, known by fans as "The Original Dance Mom,” passed away Saturday at the age of 86 after a months-long battle with colon cancer.

Miller, the 47-year-old star of Lifetime’s hit reality series “Dance Moms” and the owner of the infamous Pittsburgh-based Abby Lee Dance Company, confirmed her mother’s passing on social media this weekend. “You will be missed. #WeLoveYouMaryenLorrain,” Miller posted on her official Instagram page Sunday alongside a picture of the longtime dance teacher. Prior to her mother’s passing, Miller shared a message with her fans Saturday, saying, “Maryen Lorraine Miller is performing her last dance, please keep her in your prayers.”

Miller first opened up about her mom’s cancer struggles on the “Dance Moms” TV special “Dance Moms Cares” in January. In honor of her ailing mother, the ALDC coach had choreographed the dance “Beautiful Sadness” for the episode several months earlier, and Miller's elite Abby Lee Dance Company team went on to present the number in honor of Miller's struggle at the charity Starbound competition, Dancers Care Foundation Benefit Competition in Atlantic City, N.J., in August, scoring first place for their division.

According to the official Abby Lee Dance Company website, Maryen Lorrain Miller, born on August 6, 1927, in Greenfield, Pa., was a lifelong dancer, owning several dance studios in the Miami Beach area over 20 years. Miller, who later transferred back to Pennsylvania to marry her childhood friend George L. Salty Miller, soon after opened five dance schools in the suburbs of the Northeastern state.

Following Miller’s confirmation of her mother’s passing, fans of the hit reality series have come out in droves to mourn the ALDC matriarch’s late mother. "So sorry Abby, I know you were so close with your mom,” said one follower. “Miss Abbey I'm so sorry for your loss, she will still be so proud of you from heaven! Heaven has gained another angel, I'm sorry, R.I.P. Mrs. Miller gone but never forgotten,” said another viewer.

Miller’s students and fellow “Dance Moms” stars have also commented on the passing of Miller’s mother. “I'm very sorry to say that Mrs. Miller has left us,” Maddie Ziegler, 11, posted on Instagram Saturday, adding, “She was like the grandma I never had. I'm terribly sad and wish I could say good bye. I love you so much and wish I could hug you right now @therealabbylee.” Ziegler’s younger sister, fellow dancer Mackenzie Ziegler, 9, also shared her condolences over social media, saying, “I hope Mrs. Miller is better now since she passed, but she’s putting on her power blue tap shoes up there.”