Human Interest Real People Alexia Echevarria's Mom Dies of COVID on Her Wedding Day: 'A Rollercoaster of Emotions' Real Housewives of Miami star Alexia Echevarria mourned the loss of her mother in a heartfelt tribute on the same day she planned to marry fiancé Todd Nepola By Gabrielle Duncan Gabrielle Duncan Associate Weekend/Evenings Editor, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 25, 2021 10:04PM EDT Photo: Manny Hernandez/Getty Alexia Echevarria is mourning a tragic loss on what was supposed to be her wedding day. The Real Housewives of Miami star, 54, announced her mother Nancy's death from COVID-19 on Wednesday — the same day Echevarria planned to marry fiancé Todd Nepola. "Early this morning, I lost my mom to the horrible and deadly COVID-19," she wrote on Instagram. "The last couple of days have been a rollercoaster of emotions for me. I was on the road to marry the man of my dreams when I had to stop everything as my mother became ill. What was supposed to be the happiest day of my life today has turned out to be the saddest." Real Housewives of Miami's Alexia Echevarria Is 'Heartbroken Over Sudden Passing' of Late Husband Herman Echevarria In addition to sharing a series of sentimental photos of the pair, Echevarria also paid tribute to her mother, describing her as a "woman of strength and beauty." She revealed her mom was a political refugee from Cuba, who put herself through medical school and raised three children on her own. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday. "To say I will miss you does no justice for what I feel," Echevarria added. "No amount of tears can express the pain I feel in losing you, but then again, thank you for the honor of sharing a lifetime with me. Rest in Peace Mami. I know you're in a better place dancing and drinking champagne." She concluded, "Please watch over us, as I need all the help from up above. I now have another angel. Until we meet again." RELATED: Real Housewives of Miami Reboot in Development at Peacock Echevarria starred on the first three seasons of Bravo's RHOM, until the show went off the air in Nov. 14, 2013. The show is back in production now on a fourth season, set to air on Peacock, NCBUniversal's streaming platform. Back in December 2019, Echevarria — who shares two sons with ex-husband Pedro Rosello — got engaged to Nepola. She later told Bravo's The Daily Dish in May 2020 about their plans to postpone the nuptials until 2021 due to the pandemic. "I want it to be a religious wedding because I never was able to marry in the past religiously and, for me, that's very important," she said at the time. "We're still trying to figure out if we want it here, if we want a destination wedding, so those are things that we're still working out. But meanwhile, we're really enjoying each other. He's an amazing man and I'm very happy." For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.