A popular YouTube star has sadly passed away. Melanie Ham, 36, died earlier this month of cancer. Her husband, Robert, shared the devastating news via Instagram on January 12. “If you’ve been following our journey I’m sure you were, like us, hopeful she could defeat this insidious disease,” Robert wrote. “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.” Robert went on to say that Melanie “fought like a warrior queen” throughout her cancer struggles.
As Melanie’s family, friends, and fans mourn the beloved internet personality, here’s what we know about Melanie.
Melanie had a massive YouTube following.
Melanie had over 800,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel when she died. Her videos, some of which got millions of views, date back as far as 10 years ago. On the “About Me” page on her website, Melanie said she started her YouTube channel in December 2011, “and it took off beyond my wildest dreams.”
Her videos involved sewing and crocheting.
Melanie’s YouTube videos involved sewing, crocheting and DIY tutorials. Her clips were typically between 5 and 15 minutes long. She would create quilts, headbands, masks, blankets, and more useful items via sewing and crocheting. Melanie’s final YouTube video was shared in April 2021, after which her health took a turn for the worse.
Melanie was married & had kids.
Melanie is survived by her husband Robert and their two children, one son and one daughter. When announcing Melanie’s passing, Robert revealed that he lost his wife just nine days before the pair’s 16th wedding anniversary. “Despite the deep grief my family and I feel today we want to celebrate an amazing woman and a life well-lived,” Robert said. “She loved passionately, created beautifully, provided abundantly and was my best friend all the way to the end.”
She was open about her cancer journey.
Melanie had a hard-fought cancer battle, and she was open with her fans every step of the way. She initially details her health struggles in a 2019 blog post, where she revealed that doctors discovered a mass on one of her kidneys in Dec. 2018. She got surgery that removed her left kidney, the mass and two lymph nodes. All seemed well, but in Aug. 2020, Melanie revealed that the cancerous mass had returned. She said in a YouTube video that “the tumor came back in multiple locations, very rapidly.” Melanie later revealed that her official diagnosis was Epithelioid Angiomyolipoma.
From there, Melanie continued to keep her fans updated as she fought the cancer. In an October 2021 update, she revealed she underwent surgery five months prior that was successful, but the cancer continued spreading. Melanie’s intense chemo caused her to lose her hair. “We’re always trying to stay optimistic that this will be the treatment that works, but the truth is there is no clear path on how to battle this,” she said in her final health update, “so we’re just gonna keep fighting.”
A Celebration of Life will be held for Melanie.
In the wake of Melanie’s passing, a Celebration of Life is planned for Saturday, January 29 at 11 a.m. at Crossroads Community Church in Valencia, California. A post from Melanie’s Instagram said that “colorful attire” is encouraged. Cards and flowers can also be sent to the church to honor Melanie. For fans that wish to participate, they can livestream the event at www.lifeatcrossroads.org/eventstream.