Cat Janice, who went viral for dedicating her final song to her son during her grueling cancer battle, has died. She was 31.
Janice's family announced the news of her passingon her Instagram.
"This morning, from her childhood home and surrounded by her loving family, Catherine peacefully entered the light and love of her heavenly creator," said the statement.
"We are eternally thankful for the outpouring of love that Catherine and our family have received over the past few months. Cat saw her music go places she never expected and rests in the peace of knowing that she will continue to provide for her son through her music. This would not have been possible without all of you," the family said.
After posting that "cancer has won," Janice asked social media users in January for help pre-saving her last song, "Dance You Outta My Head," with all proceeds going to her 7-year-old son Loren. She posted an update that same day that she had entered hospice at home.
Janice received an outpouring of support, as "Dance You Outta My Head" climbed to No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50. The song has garnered nearly 12.9 million streams on Spotify as of Thursday morning.
"I never thought I would live to see the day where my art is No. 1 Billboard charting. Thank you. Thank you for giving us this moment at such a time," Janice had written on Instagram in February.
In a final Instagram post from the singer, Janice posted a cover of her song by another artist, Sarah Cothran.
"The past few weeks have been so hard for me. I'm unable to walk, trapped in my body. It's been emotionally the most difficult thing I've had to go through," Janice captioned the post. "But this beautiful cover reminded me the significance of this song. Soon I will be free ... soaring in the next dimension, glowing like a million fireflies, flying through the heavens, dancing with God and my Nonnie. This song reminded me that's coming."
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After finding a lump in her neck months prior, Janice was first diagnosed in 2022 with a rare aggressive cancer called sarcoma, a type of malignant tumor that rises in bones and connective tissue. She underwent surgery, traveled hundreds of miles from D.C. to New York for treatment, and said the chemotherapy and radiation were perhaps worse than the cancer itself.
Through pain, hope and resilience, Janice was inspired to release her first album, "Modern Medicine," last summer.
Janice was declared cancer-free in 2023, but the illness came back with a vengeance. Despite her declining health, she married her husband Kyle Higginbotham at the end of the year, saying on Instagram, "he has given me a gift that I know transcends space and time and will last forever."
With what she came to learn was little time left, Janice released "Dance You Outta My Head" a day before her 31st birthday this year. The song initially began as a mother-son bonding moment, with little Loren appearing on the track. It became the final piece she left for the world, and her son.
She released a song on her deathbed to benefit her son. It went viral
Alt-pop artist Cat Janice has spent years battling a rare aggressive cancer called sarcoma. She wanted to leave a final gift to the world for her son.
