Anna Cardwell, the eldest daughter of Mama June Shannon, has died following a battle with cancer. She was 29.
“With the breaking heart, we are announcing that @annamarie35 is no longer with us,” Shannon, 44, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, December 10. “She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM. She gave one hell of a fight for 10 months she passed away with her family around her like she won’t and we will will be updating y’all with more information as we get it today. We love y’all and continued prayers and thoughts for our family doing this difficult time.”
News broke in March 2023 that Cardwell, known for appearing on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, was diagnosed with stage IV adrenal carcinoma that January after she reportedly complained about severe stomach aches. She underwent her first round of chemotherapy in February.
Cardwell’s younger sister Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson reacted to the diagnosis at the time. “This is what I mean when I say you never truly know what somebody is going through at home. No matter how famous they are,” Thompson, 18, wrote via her Instagram Stories. “I’m very famous but normal s—t happens to me and my family & y’all need to realize that ASAP.”
In May, Shannon offered an update on her daughter’s health battle. “This round of chemo has been kind of different,” she exclusively told Us Weekly. “She’s sleeping more. It was kind of rough, this round.”
Shannon revealed at the time that there were days when she did not “know how to deal with” Cardwell’s diagnosis. “I can just imagine, like, if I’m feeling that way as her mom, how she’s feeling that way as a person who is having to live with it day in, day out,” she added.
Two months later, Shannon confirmed that her eldest daughter’s cancer was terminal. “She’s not gonna go into remission,” Shannon told Entertainment Tonight. “We’ve all accepted that, so I just tell people one day at a time ‘cause you never know.”
Shannon noted that Cardwell had undergone four rounds of chemotherapy and was considering clinical trials and immune therapy, though she was unsure whether she would seek further treatment. “It is crazy to think that she will not be here probably in five years, but I’m hoping that she can pull through and fight 10, 20 years,” Shannon said.
Cardwell is survived by daughters Kaitlyn, 11, whose biological father was never publicly identified, and Kylee, 8, whom she welcomed with ex-husband Michael Cardwell. She had been dating boyfriend Eldridge Toney since 2019 after separating from Michael in 2017.
Shannon shared Anna — whose nickname was Chickadee — with ex David Dunn. She is also the mother of daughters Jessica, 27, and Lauryn, 23, with ex Michael Anthony Ford and Alana with ex Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson.
