Celebrity Celebrity Deaths Celebrity Death Tributes Yolanda Hadid's Mother Dies of Cancer at 78: 'I Will Honor You for the Rest of My Days' "Thank you for loving me the way the way that you did and for making me the woman that I am today," Yolanda Hadid said of her late mother By Georgia Slater Georgia Slater Georgia Slater is a staff editor on the Parents team at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2018. Her work has previously appeared in USA Today and Washington Life Magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 31, 2019 01:00PM EDT Yolanda Hadid is paying tribute to her mother, Ans van den Herik, who died Friday from cancer at 78, Metro reported. The television personality, 55, shared the news of her “guardian angel Mama” to Instagram Saturday, adding a lengthy heartfelt message and a series of black-and-white photos from Herik’s life. “Thank you for loving me the way the way that you did and for making me the woman that I am today,” Hadid began the caption. “On angel wings you were taken away, but in my heart you will always stay….. I can not imagine this life without you but I pray that I will hear you whisper in the tallest trees and feel your love in the gentle breeze… When I miss you the most, our beautiful memories will hold you close… Our Love is eternal and you will always be with me and I will always be with you beyond the bounds of this realm.” The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star added, “Rest In Peace my beautiful mama, I will honor you for the rest of my days….. Until we meet again, I LOVE YOU.” The photos of Herik, who was also the grandmother to models Bella, 22, Anwar, 20, and Gigi Hadid, 24, show her at different stages throughout her younger life. The pictures captured Herik with her pets, in school photos, and her stylish fashion choices, including a long checked coat, possibly inspiring the sense of fashion in her grandchildren. Gigi, Bella and Yolanda Hadid Post the Cutest Throwback Pics of Each Other — and We Have Them All Right Here Bella also shared memories of her grandma to her Instagram Story Saturday to honor her passing. The supermodel wrote captions such as “forever” and “I wish I could hug you right now,” alongside pictures of her Herik holding Bella as a child, reading to her and Gigi as kids, and a more recent photo of the two together. Bella Hadid/Instagram Bella Hadid/Instagram Bella Hadid/Instagram The family recently celebrated Herik’s birthday together in June, and Gigi posted a series of throwback photos of her “Oma” in her honor. “Happy Birthday to our queen @ansvandenherik we are so happy and lucky to celebrate you here at the farm this week,” she wrote at the time. The model added, “So grateful for every second I get to experience your wittiness, strength, and wisdom. We love you so much!!”