Anderson Cooper Says He's Talked with His Son About Dying After His“ ”Mother's Death: 'An Ongoing Conversation'

Anderson Cooper is trying to be open about grief and death with his two kids.

The journalist, 57, spoke at On Air Fest alongside Audie Cornish in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Thursday, Feb. 20, and was asked about how he's approached his grief after the death of his mother Gloria Vanderbilt in 2019. Cooper, who shares his sons Wyatt Morgan, 4, and Sebastian Luke, 3, with ex Benjamin Maisani, noted that one of his sons had asked him if he missed his mom.

"When my son brought it up the first time, I froze for a second," Cooper admits. "And then we just had a conversation. I said, 'Yeah, she died.' And [he asked] 'When?' And I said, 'Oh, you know, about a year before you were born and these are pictures."

"And he was like, 'Do you miss her?' And I was like, 'Yeah, I miss her a lot,' " he continues. "And then he's like, 'When are you, are you gonna die?' And I was like, 'Well, you know, we're all gonna die at some point.' And it wasn't just a one-shot deal. I mean, we've had an ongoing conversation about it."

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Related: Andy Cohen Jokes Anderson Cooper’s Kids ‘Don’t Ever Seem to Do Anything Wrong’: 'Annoys Me So Much’

This past April, Cooper shared a cute photo to his Instagram Stories of some new temporary ink that he and son Wyatt got together. In the picture, the father and son showed off their new dinosaur thigh tattoos.

On the left, Wyatt had two temporary tattoos, one of a pterodactyl and another of a sea animal. Cooper was inked with another dinosaur, which Wyatt pointed to in the picture.

"Always wanted a tattoo. Wyatt finally gave me one," Cooper wrote in his caption.

That previous September, Cooper spoke with PEOPLE for a cover story about his two sons, sharing that they have their own adorable giggles.

“The kids have delicious giggles, but not the same as my mom and me so far,” said the journalist.

He also opened up about co-parenting with Maisani.

“This is the best time in my life,” he said. “There is no doubt about it. I feel moments of such bliss, humor and gentleness and sheer delight that it stuns me.”

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