Martha Stewart has announced the sudden death of her younger sister, Laura Plimpton, who died of a brain aneurysm on August 5, Tuesday. Plimpton was 59.

The news comes from an e-mail that Stewart sent to employees at her lifestyle company, which was where Plimpton worked. In the e-mail obtained by the Daily Mail, Stewart states, “My youngest sister, and the youngest of the six Kostyra siblings, Laura Kostyra Plimpton, passed away today in Norwalk Hospital. Laura worked for me and the company for more than 25 years.”

Plimpton had been feeling ill after finishing her morning workout, but was able to call for help from her second husband Randy, who rushed her to the hospital, according to the e-mail. She was found to have suffered a brain aneurysm, and doctors could not help her. Upon her death, her organs were donated, prompting Stewart to write, “We are so sad but also happy that Laura had the foresight to donate so many healthy organs to needy people.”

BREAKING: @MarthaStewart‘s Youngest Sister Laura Plimpton Dies At 59 (STORY) http://t.co/hcu0xtHGDp #RIP pic.twitter.com/QeA32zzMRc

— PopWrapped (@PopWrapped) August 6, 2014

Martha Stewart grieved her late sister Laura Plimpton in a moving blog post: http://t.co/zteYkaj6kn pic.twitter.com/UhmgxgJLEN

— Us Weekly (@usweekly) August 6, 2014

Plimpton leaves behind three children, and a sister who wrote that she was “the very best” and “an extraordinary employee, mother, wife and sister.”

Stewart invited her sister to join her company after Plimpton’s husband died of cancer. Plimpton used to write scripts for Stewart’s Ask Martha radio spots and worked closely with her sister, whom she was said to look up to as a “mother figure”. When Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison in 2004, it was Plimpton who accompanied Stewart’s daughter, Alexis, on Larry King Live to show support for her sister, saying that they had a “very special relationship.” Plimpton was also heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of Stewart’s lifestyle businesses, even appearing on segments of her TV show.

Martha Stewart makes okra stew with sister Laura Plimpton

Image via YouTube