YouTuber Melanie Ham has died of cancer at age 36. Her husband, Robert Ham, announced the news on Tuesday, January 25.
“It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness I share the news of the passing of my sweet, amazing, beautiful wife Melanie,” Robert shared via Melanie’s Instagram. “If you’ve been following our journey I’m sure you were, like us, hopeful she could defeat this insidious disease. Over the past few months things have been progressively getting worse and we’re thankful that we made it to this point through the holidays and tried to make every moment count. We are short 9 days of our 16 year anniversary.”
Robert added that Melanie’s doctors and family were all very supportive and did everything they could to help her. “Melanie fought until the end and did all we could do to avoid today, but that is not our path. Let me reassure all those rooting for us, Melanie fought like a warrior queen,” he wrote alongside photos of his late wife.
The content creator was a crafter on YouTube, sharing videos teaching people how to crochet, quilt and more over the past decade. Her channel had over 812,000 subscribers at the time of her death.
Though she hadn’t uploaded a video in more than six months, fans were aware that the influencer was taking time off as she fought a type of sarcoma called epithelioid angiomyolipoma.
“When I don’t feel well, I tend to retreat,” Melanie shared in an October 2021 blog post. “Sharing, being online and working take more energy than I have. I have been prioritizing rest and being with family in this difficult season and spending 100% of my energy on my healing.”
She asked followers for prayers for both her as well as her adolescent son and daughter. “I won’t lie, I sincerely appreciate and need your prayers more than ever,” she wrote at the time. “Please keep our kids lifted up as well, they’re very aware of what’s going on and it’s been a difficult time for them as well.”
Following Melanie’s death, Robert wrote that their family feels “deep grief,” but they “want to celebrate an amazing woman and a life well-lived. She loved passionately, created beautifully, provided abundantly and was my best friend all the way to the end.”
Her funeral will take place on Saturday, January 29, at Crossroads Community Church in Valencia, California. The ceremony will be live streamed for fans, and the service notice says, “colorful attire encouraged.”