Vanessa Williams’ Mother Helen Louise Williams Dies at 85

Helen Louise Williams, Vanessa Williams‘ mother, has died. She was 85.

The music teacher “peacefully passed away” the morning of Dec. 28 in London, her family said in an obituary obtained by PEOPLE on Thursday, Jan. 2.

Helen traveled overseas for the opening night of The Devil Wears Prada in the West End, where Vanessa, 61, plays fashion editor Miranda Priestly.

The trip was arranged “to celebrate her 85th birthday party surrounded by 150 of her family and friends,” the obituary said. “During her visit she suffered a major decline in health which ended her life.”

Her cause of death was complications of acute liver failure, per the obituary.

“Work the best you can and don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot do something — ever! Make up your mind, prepare yourself, study hard, and be very, very confident,” was the message she would tell her students. 

Helen was born on Dec. 8, 1939, in Buffalo, N.Y. and spent over 40 years in the Ossining and Manhattanville School Districts. She was also a professor at Manhattanville College. She retired in 1996.

While working, she also taught private piano lessons to Westchester County students. Helen was an accomplished pianist who performed at music recitals and community and church events, in addition to working as concert coordinator and choral director before and after her retirement. 

Her work reached outside of music as well.

In 2012, Helen cowrote the New York Times best-selling memoir, You Have No Idea: A Famous Daughter, Her No-nonsense Mother, and How They Survived Pageants, Hollywood, Love, Loss (and Each Other), with the POTUS actress and Irene Surtell.

Per the obituary, “the book illuminates her patented and revered character traits; a commanding presence, pint sized authority, imposing stare, acerbic wit, no-nonsense talk, undying fidelity, and support for her children and grandchildren.”

Helen became the youngest Black student at the State University of New York at Fredonia when she was 16. Years later, Vanessa would make her own history, as the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America in 1984.

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Helen also established the Helen Tinch Williams Scholarship at SUNY in 2017 and received the Jessie Hillman Award for Excellence in Education in 2010. She also worked with inmates at the Bedford Women’s Correction Facility.

Helen is survived by her brother Federick Tinch, her children Vanessa and Chris Williams, four grandchildren from her daughter, and several nieces, nephews and cousins.