Katy Karrenbauer (63) is mourning her "little mother" Erika. The actress's mother passed away after a serious illness at the age of 90. Karrenbauer said goodbye on Instagram with a long text. "My little mama, my little mother, best friend, closest confidante," wrote the "Hinter Gittern" actress. She described the deceased as the "only person who loved me unconditionally."
Katy Karrenbauer remembered shared outings and convertible rides in her post. She honored her "wonderfully uncomplicated" and "humble" mother: "You didn't need diamonds or gold, colorful flowers could bring you the greatest joy."
Final journey was "infinitely difficult"
Her mother would have deserved an "easy final journey," Karrenbauer wrote. But according to the actress, it was "incredibly difficult." She often begged God to take her mother, as she "could barely endure her suffering anymore."
Karrenbauer also remembers many beautiful moments, such as how she "danced" with her mother to the chanson "La Mer," waving their arms. "Your gratitude and your eternal smile, that infinitely deep gaze of love will guide me through life until my time comes," she wrote.
"You gave me my life"
Katy Karrenbauer thanked her sister, who had her back so she could work. She also honored the work of doctors and nurses. But she spent the last eleven days alone with her mother: "You gave me my life, my first breath, and my gift to you was to accompany and endure your last breath."
"Safe travels, my little mama, now you will never wave to me again. That's what I feared most in life. Thank you for everything," Katy Karrenbauer concluded her text.
Katy Karrenbauer followed up with a second post
But since her mother's life had been so long, the 63-year-old followed up with another post on Instagram. She was already being accused by family members of "dragging" her mama into social media. "Who will tell your story if not me?" Karrenbauer countered such accusations.
In her second post, Katy Karrenbauer remembered a moment three weeks before her mother's death. "Last night I thought I had to kick the bucket," she had told her. Then she mentioned a few names and said: "They don't know what to do with me anymore. And honestly, there's nothing more coming now."
After that, the deceased stopped eating. Just one week before her death, she had eaten four pieces of her favorite chocolate. Karrenbauer added several pictures from her mother's life to her text.
One year ago, Katy Karrenbauer already had to say goodbye to a parent. On May 23, 2025, her father Dieter passed away at 93. The "Promi Big Brother" contestant only reconnected with him in 2018. After 50 years of silence, she took in her father, who suffered from dementia. Her parents had separated when she was a child.
