AceShowbiz - Anderson Cooper paid tribute to his mother Gloria Vanderbilt during Thursday night's (June 20) instalment of "Anderson Cooper 360".

The actress, author, and fashion designer died on Monday at the age of 95 following a long battle with advanced stomach cancer. And opening up about the star's passing for the first time, Cooper lamented his "loneliness" following the losses of his mother, father, and brother.

"I never realised until now how much she was my north star, (and) things seem a lot less bright and magical without her," the 52-year-old shared. "My dad died when I was 10, and my brother when I was 21. She was the last of my immediate family, the last person who knew me from the beginning."

"They're all gone and it feels very lonely right now. I hope they are at least together," the host added.

In a statement released earlier this week, Cooper praised his mother as being an "extraordinary woman who loved life and lived on her own terms".

"She was a painter, a writer, and designer but also a remarkable mother, wife, and friend," the news anchor continued. "She was 95 years old, but ask anyone close to her, and they'd tell you, she was the youngest person they knew, the coolest, and most modern."

Vanderbilt was laid to rest at a funeral in Staten Island, New York on Tuesday, the day after her passing.