Kiara Brokenbrough, the California woman who went viral for having a $500 wedding in 2022, has died during childbirth.
She was 32.
According to her obituary, Brokenbrough passed away on March 30 while delivering her son Jonah. Her husband Joel will now be left to care for him.
“Kiara’s last assignment was the gift of her greatest creation, Jonah, a son for her beloved husband,” her obituary rewd. “Jonah, like his parents, is a fighter. He is inspiring his family members and NICU hospital staff with his remarkable improvement.”
Brokenbrough was laid to rest on April 20th in Pomona, Ca.
Her exact cause of death has not been released. However according to a GoFundMe, as reported by BET, the couple was in the process of moving from West Virginia to California when she unexpectedly died.
In 2022, Brokenbrough went viral when she and Joel tied the knot for just $500. The two had met in 2016 in Las Vegas, reconnected in 2018 and were engaged and married within a month. Brokenbrough purchased her wedding gown from Shein for just $47. Even their venue was free. The couple married off of a freeway in California and guests paid for their own food and drinks at the reception.
“I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a dress because I had the mindset I’m gonna wear this one time for a few hours,” she told Good Morning America.
She told GMA at the time couples have to remember the end goal is to be married, not the wedding.
“The people we have there, they understood the assignment, they understood the things that we were trying to do, and they really supported us,” she told GMA.
Days before her death, the couple had celebrated a gender reveal and baby shower. Brokenbrough had shared a recap on her Instagram. It was the last post she made.
Her brother in law author and professor Anthony O’ Neal posted a heartfelt tribute to Brokenbrough on his Instagram, calling her more than a viral bride.
“She was a friend. She sat at my table, ” O’Neal wrote. “She shared her heart, her faith and her story with our community. And now she’s gone- too soon, too young, leaving behind a husband and a newborn son who will grow up hearing about the love his mother poured out to bring him here.”
Kiara’s death is one of hundreds-if nof thousands- of heartbreaking realities of maternal wellness for Black mothers.
Black women in the United States face a maternal mortality rate that is three to four times higher than that of women in other demographic groups.
Organizations such as the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA) have been on the frontlines fighting for change.
