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“Our beloved Elsa Patton passed away over Mother’s Day weekend after a long illness,” Marysol Patton said in a statement in May of 2019. The 84-year-old Elsa, known as "Mama Elsa" on the Real Housewives of Miami, gained both fame and notoriety from the show and became an unlikely star for her love of plastic surgery and her spiritual practices, as well as her many flowing caftans. She often told people she was a witch, and she worked as a seer to a number of A-List celebrities in Miami. She was already ready with a one-liner, and even had her own TV series for a while.

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The series, entitled Havana Elsa and running on BravoTV for nine episodes, followed Patton while she worked to start up a coffee chain. In the third -- and last -- season of Real Housewives of Miami, Elsa's health too a turn for the worse. That season aired in 2013, and it was revealed at the time that Elsa had experienced a stroke. At that time, Marysol said to Bravo's The Daily Dish, "She still has a way to go, but when I see her feisty spirit, I know she is on her way back to her old self.” Elsa had two children, Marysol and Thomas, and a grandson named Hunter. 

Being Marysol's Mom -- On Screen and Off

Elsa Patton immigrated to the United State from Cuba, and settled in Miami. In her youth Elsa was very beautiful, and she started going for plastic surgery procedures in the 1980s in an effort to hold on to youth and beauty. Some of the surgeries went better than others, which caused her to become focused on continuing to have plastic surgery procedures. She also had an eclectic style that really shown through on Real Housewives of Miami, and she quickly began to match and even overtake her daughter Marysol's stardom. But the love and caring she had for her daughter and husband was clear.

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She was married for 50 years to the same man, who passed away not long before she did. When they first moved to Miami they had big dreams, and Elsa passed those dreams along to her daughter Marysol who started The Patton Group, which was among the largest public relations firms in Miami. It was The Patton Group and its celebrity client list that really put Marysol on her way to being a star, and got her an invite to be part of a reality TV show. Because Marysol and her abilities as a seer and spiritual counselor to the celebrities was part of The Patton Group, it wasn't long before she was a part of the TV series, as well.

While Elsa's appearances on the show weren't meant to become a regular part of things, the audience couldn't get enough of her uniqueness. Because of that, she was soon a regular and as big of a part of the show as her daughter, in many ways. Marysol and her mother were both very social, and moved in A-List circles in Miami. They brought that lavishness to the television series, and through that series they were able to show the world what their lives were like in the Miami area and in the business of The Patton Group.

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Real Housewives of Miami Gave Elsa a Voice

“What you have to do is learn to put your head in the right pillow. And the right pillow is the one that is full of money.” It's no secret that Elsa Patton was a big personality. She had a voice on Real Housewives of Miami, and she was able to make her feelings and goals known. Her voice was heard through three seasons, even after she suffered a stroke in 2013. Her staff found her at home, unconscious on the floor of her bedroom. She underwent surgery and made a recovery, and was able to appear on the third and final season where she could entertain fans and spend more time with her daughter.

There are many reasons for those who loved and cared for Elsa to cherish the memories they have with her. Certainly, fans will remember her as someone with a big personality and a bigger heart. She cared for her family, spent time with her husband for decades, and moved her entire family to another country for a better life. She built an empire with Marysol, and helped her find the big dreams she needed in order to make her life a great one. The Patton Group and Real Housewives of Miami will always be a part of Elsa's legacy for her family, children, guests, and fans to appreciate.