Heather B. Armstrong, who shot to fame as one of the original mommy bloggers, has died by suicide at 47.
Her boyfriend Pete Ashdown confirmed the news to the Associated Press, adding that she had recently relapsed after 18 months of sobriety.
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Armstrong’s passing was also posted on Instagram with a selfie and the message, “Heather Brooke Hamilton aka Heather B. Armstrong aka dooce aka love of my life. July 19, 1975 – May 9, 2023. ‘It takes an ocean not to break.’ Hold your loved ones close and love everyone else.”
She shared children Leta, 19, and Marlo, 13, with ex-husband Jon Armstrong. They divorced in 2012.
Armstrong had recently posted photos from spring break, showing the family’s trip to Homestead Crater in Utah.
The writer launched her blog Dooce.com in 2001 and was open about her depression and battle with alcohol.
In her final blog post from April 2023, she reflected on her sobriety journey. Armstrong wrote, “22 years of agony I had numbed with alcohol had come alive and transformed itself into an almost alien life form. I often felt like I was being electrocuted for hours at a time. The core of my body absorbed the shock of it all, and it brought me to my knees. I was forced to stare this wild-eyed savage straight in the face, and now I look around and think, ‘Oh, this. This is just life. All of this is just a physical reaction to psychological pain.’”
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).