Lara Spencer missed Good Morning America on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 after announcing the death of her mom.
The GMA anchor shared the sad news on February 16, revealing that Carolyn von Seelen – a brain tumor survivor – had died on February 13 at 85. And it seems that Lara is taking time to remember her mom with her family, including her five siblings.
Lara's GMA co-stars, Michael Strahan, Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and Sam Champion, paid tribute to Carolyn on Tuesday's show.
"We hope that you'll indulge us for a moment," Robin said as she sat next to her co-anchors. "We want to remember a beautiful member of our GMA family. Lara's mother – she had a smile that could light up the universe."
The GMA anchor continued: "She was a wonderful mother to her six children, grandmother to 12, great-grandmother to four. Lara said [Carolyn] called her children 'the loves of her life.'"
Sam added that Caroyln was a "bright light" and that she spent a lot of time at GMA, behind the scenes and even on camera a few times. The anchors remembered Carolyn's love of flea markets, which was passed down to her daughter who is the creator and host of Flea Market Flip.
© InstagramOn Tuesday's show, Lara's co-stars looked back on a 2012 GMA feature when she and Carolyn shopped at the longest flea market in the world. Carolyn was more than just Lara's mom, she was a beloved member of GMA. Robin shared a touching memory of Carolyn, calling her "incredibly kind."
"I had a speaking gig down in Florida. I didn't tell Lara, her mom didn't know," Robin remembered. "But [Carolyn] read the local paper that I was coming to town and she surprised me. She just showed up."
Michael added: "Knowing who Lara is, that's no surprise that her mom would do something like that."
Remembering Lara's mom Carolyn
While Lara wasn't on GMA on Tuesday to join in on the tribute, she shared her own memories of her mom to her almost 500,000 Instagram followers. She penned: "If you were lucky enough to meet my mom you know that smile that lit up every room she walked into. What you might not have seen at first glance was her courage, resilience, endless optimism, deep faith, and boundless love for her family."
© InstagramLara continued: "She was a woman who loved a saying and used them often to help us get thru life’s challenges or painful moments. One of her favorite was 'don't be sad it's over honey – be grateful it happened.' Sorry mama but there's no way to not feel the pain of overwhelming sadness at the thought of not having you to share life with each day, but we sure are grateful YOU happened and showered with your love and warmth and humor."
