Mama June's daughter Anna dead at 29
June Shannon visits "Extra" at Universal Studios Hollywood on January 11, 2018 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
Mama June's daughter, Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell, died Saturday following a cancer battle. She was 29.
The reality star, who found fame as the older sister of "Toddlers & Tiaras" pageant queen Honey Boo Boo, was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma in January.
"With the breaking heart, we are announcing that @annamarie35 is no longer with us," Mama June wrote on Instagram Sunday. "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 be updating y’all with more information as we get it today."
Mama June added, "We love y’all and continued prayers and thoughts for our family doing this difficult time."
Cardwell is survived by daughters Kaitlyn Elizabeth and Kylee Madison.
Honey Boo Boo, whose full name is Alana Thompson, wrote on Instagram that the family surrounded Anna with love last night to let her know it "was okay to go."
"Anna was in so much pain last night but now as a family we all know she is at peace now. I really don’t know what to say as my heart is completely broken," she wrote. "Watching my 29 year old sister this last year battle this horrible disease hasn’t been easy. Anna was a fighter & still is. Lord please wrap your arms around her 2 babies & our family as the next couple of days will make this all a reality."
She added, "I’m so glad that you waited til i was home to take your last breath! I would’ve loved for you to get to see me graduate college but i know you will forever cheer me on in heaven! We will all make sure your legacy lives on forever. And i promise to always make sure to celebrate our birthday like you never left! The sky looks a little bit different today. We will always love you Anna."
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Anna Cardwell, a loving mother, daughter, sister and friend," representatives for WE tv and Thinkfactory Media said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Our sincerest condolences to June, Pumpkin, Alana, Jessica and their family during this difficult time. Anna will be truly missed, but never forgotten, as her light and spirit live on."
The Shannon family appeared on the TLC reality series about child pageant shows in 2011 before receiving their own spinoff, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" in 2012.
The program ran for four seasons before being canceled in the middle of filming for the fifth after it was discovered that June was dating a man that had gone to prison for molesting Cardwell when she was a child.
In 2017, June received her own series detailing her dramatic weight loss transformation, "Mama June: From Not to Hot," before rebranding in the fourth season to, "Mama June: Family Crisis."
Shannon, who was arrested and indicted in 2019 on suspicion of drug possession, revealed in 2021 that she spent almost $1 million on drugs during the peak of her addiction.
"I was around drugs all my life, my brother-in-law had gotten busted several times for selling dope, my sisters have had pill addictions after surgery, so addiction does run in my family," she told Access Hollywood at the time. "When I was 20 years old, I went from nothing and started using meth -- as it was known back in the day, crank."
She was 14 months into sobriety two years ago, and went to rehab with just "a dollar 75 to my name." Her relationships with her daughters suffered as well.
"[My] bank accounts [were] overdrawn tens of thousands of dollars," she said. "I would say the last year of our addiction, [we spent] probably a good $900 thousand."