Gone, but not forgotten. Mark Wahlberg honored his mother, Ama Wahlberg on Instagram with a sweet photo two days after announcing the devastating news to his fans. The Transformers star, 49, posted a beautiful throwback of Ama sitting on a couch surrounded by his four adorable kids: Brendan, 12, Ella, 17, Grace, 11, and Michael, 15. Mark and his wife, Rhea Durham, are in on the cuddles, too.
He captioned the post, “Miss you grandma” with a red heart emoji. Mark announced 78-year-old Ama’s death in an April 18 tweet. The Daddy’s Home star posted a lovely photo of his mother with a huge smile on her face, captioning it, “My angel. Rest in peace.” Ama’s other children, including singer Donnie Wahlberg, also honored their mother online. Donnie, 51, penned a lengthy tribute on Instagram accompanied by a slideshow of photos and videos.
“I’m so blessed to have been brought into this world by, raised by, taught by and set on my life’s path by, such an amazing woman,” he wrote, in part. “My mom Alma’s joy for life, love and people — combined with a pride in her humble beginnings and refusal to forget where she came from — undoubtedly shaped me into the man that I am. She was, without a doubt, the most loving human being I’ve ever known.”
Ama was mother to nine children and was a regular fixture on Wahlburgers, the A&E reality show that followed the family’s Boston-based burger chain. The show, which aired from 2014 to 2019, showcased many members of the Wahlberg family, including son Paul Wahlberg — who later named another restaurant Alma Nova in her honor. “I was very hesitant and nervous at first,” Alma told USA Today in 2014 about being on the show. “[My sons] said, ‘You can talk to a wall, Ma. You won’t have any trouble.’”