Mary Cosby opened up about her son Robert Cosby Jr.’s death for the first time during The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City‘s Season 7 premiere, sharing heartbreaking new details about her grief and how she coped in the weeks following the devastating loss of her only child.
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Robert Jr. passed away on February 23, 2006, at age 23. An onscreen graphic from RHOSLC‘s Sept. 16 episode revealed that Mary returned to filming three weeks later.Â
“I miss him,” Mary said of her and husband Robert Cosby Sr.’s son. “He was my best friend; he was my kid. He had that love for me that I never experienced. He loved big. His love was just… you could just see it through his eyes, you could feel it come out of his body.”
She continued, “I miss our conversations. I miss his company. He was my gift, and I loved him like I’ve never loved anything.”
Why Mary Cosby decided to resume filming RHOSLC Season 7
On RHOSLC, Mary explained that though her pain was “still fresh,” Robert Jr. had inspired her to continue filming the show. “Robert would want me to keep going,” she elaborated. “And his spirit will live within me forever. He helped me see life, you know? He was a little light.”
Mary shared a similar sentiment in her recent Vulture interview, explaining, “He would want me to shine. He’d want me to be the best I can be in whatever I’m doing in life.”
Asked for her husband Robert Sr.’s thoughts on her decision to resume filming, Mary said, “He trusts me. He knows that I know how to create boundaries. I know how to protect myself, and I know what I need.”
“During that time I realized that dying from a broken heart is a choice,” she continued. “It came to me, like, ‘You can just choose not to even go on.’ I thought, ‘Well, maybe my journey and what I was put on this Earth for are not done. His is done. Mine isn’t. I need to keep going to see what’s in the end.'”
Mary added that she even asked her husband Robert Sr. to film with her. “I just asked him, would he do it for me? I said, ‘I don’t have anyone. You’re the only family I have left.’ He’s like, ‘One time. I’ll do it. There’s just one time and then don’t ask again. I’m like, ‘I’m going to ask again,'” Mary told Vulture. “He agreed to go to our church and film a scene there, and he cried. He cried and he had a moment, kind of a little angry moment where he almost didn’t understand. But then it comes forward and we’re both sitting there with understanding and acceptance. It was beautiful. You could see I was all cheesy. I needed him, and for him to show up for me is so important.”
Mary Cosby details Robert Cosby Jr.’s homegoing service
On RHOSLC, Mary described Robert Jr.’s homegoing as “one of the most beautiful services” she’d ever witnessed, and her RHOSLC castmates, all of whom were in attendance, agreed. “That service, with that kind of peace and love that God put in there, that told me he’s fine,” added the first lady and presiding evangelist at Utah’s Faith Temple Pentecostal Church.
Also present for the service were The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills‘ Kyle Richards and The Real Housewives of Atlanta‘s Cynthia Bailey and Shereé Whitfield. “[Their attendance meant] everything,” Mary told Vulture. “Kyle still talks about it. I will forever be indebted to them for sharing that time with me. They couldn’t have done anything better for me than to show up at such a time. I pray for them every day. It just tells you who’s beautiful inside and who’s not.”
RELATED: RHOSLC Cast Sheds New Light on Mary’s “Powerful” Church Reopening: “It Was a Moment” (EXCLUSIVE)
How the RHOSLC cast has been supporting Mary Cosby
Meredith Marks, Lisa Barlow, Heather Gay, Angie Katsanevas, Bronwyn Newport, and Whitney Rose all gathered at Mary’s house on the RHOSLC Season 7 premiere. With everyone together, Mary credited the group with supporting her through the tragic loss, whether by sending care packages or simply providing some comforting words.
“It got me through it,” Mary told the ladies, noting that her own siblings didn’t even call her. “I thought, ‘Wow, God has given me a family.’ Thank you, you know? You guys showed up, like in a special way. … It’s beautiful. It’s bigger than us.”
Ending their emotional discussion on a lighter note, Mary concluded with a laugh, “You guys are my family — even though I didn’t ask for you. No, I’m just kidding. … I thank God for all of you guys.”
RELATED: Mary Cosby Shares a Rare Update on Her and Robert Cosby Sr.’s Marriage (EXCLUSIVE)
As Mary continues to navigate her grief with the ladies’ support, get details on how the RHOSLC Season 7 cast is connected.
