"He just worked himself to where he is right now," said Mrs. Vandross, 80.
Vandross has been semiconscious since suffering the stroke in his Manhattan home. He had been putting the finishing touches on his new album, "Dance With My Father," which hits stores Tuesday.
Vandross' fluctuations in weight have become famous over the years.
"He had regained his weight back, and that of course really bothered me tremendously, because I knew how hard he was struggling not to gain the weight," said Mrs. Vandross. "And yet he would eat uncontrollably."
A few days before his stroke, Vandross, 52, visited his mother in her Philadelphia home. Although the visit was a good one, she worried about him because he was "eating everything in sight."
"I asked him, `Are you upset about something?' He said, `I don't know, but ... when you go to your mama's house, you're supposed to eat,"' she said.
One time, Mrs. Vandross said, "I got annoyed, and I asked him, `Why do you do this to yourself again?' And he said, `I don't drink, I've never drank, I've never smoked, I've never done drugs.'
"He said, `Mama, I just don't know what to do anymore."'
She visits him in the hospital often. If she is not there, another relative or friend is by his bedside.
During the day, he is shown photos of family and friends, and someone reads him the get-well cards and e-mails that have been pouring in. He also hears music by his favorite singers -- Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick. His background singers have even come in to perform for him, said Max Szadek, his personal assistant.
Those closest to him say his condition has improved. Earlier on, he contracted pneumonia and needed a tracheotomy to help him breathe.
But now, he has begun mouthing words, even trying to eat a bit of an orange. Mrs. Vandross recalled that recently, she arrived in his hospital room and his head was turned. When she called him, he turned his head toward her and smiled, and she burst into tears.
Szadek noted that Vandross has started to move his neck around.
He's even aware of the growing success of his new single, the title track of the album. Szadek said he showed Vandross a copy of the music industry trade publication Billboard that included the single, and Vandross followed along with his eyes.
"He's doing excellent now in comparison to what he was," said Mrs. Vandross.
/>
