Hannah Shofet, Davis’ eldest daughter, confirmed Friday to The Times that her mother died Jan. 1 at Riverview Medical Center in New Jersey from esophageal cancer. She was 67.
In a phone interview, Shofet celebrated Davis for being a “real poster child of having a family and also pursuing your dreams.” She also praised her mother for representing older women and Japanese culture on social media.
“When she would go to award shows or was invited to these amazing things, it’s kinda cool that she was this older … Asian American woman that was doing these things in the spotlight,” Shofet said.
In a tribute published Friday on Davis’ YouTube channel , her son Tim Davis recalled her “peaceful” final moments and shared several photos of the social media sensation throughout her life.
Holding a recent photo of his mother, Tim said she looked “so intelligent and elegant in this picture.”
“When I think of my mom, this is who I think of,” he said. “The Internet’s grandma. She was the best. So glad you guys got to experience how wonderful of a person she was and that you guys treated her so well.”
Davis was a maverick when it came to bite-sized cooking tutorials on social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. In 2020, she started her “Cooking With Lynja” YouTube channel, in collaboration with Tim, who was a freelance videographer at the time. Amid the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, she served up mouth-watering recipes and Gen Z humor in the form of wacky, over-the-top edits and cheeky jokes. She amassed a following of more than 9.6 million subscribers on YouTube, 2.2 million Instagram followers and 17.6 million TikTok followers.
In addition to Shofet, Davis is survived by husband Keith Davis, daughter Becky Steinberg, sons Tim Davis and Sean Davis and siblings Jay Yamada and Karen Yamada Dolce.
The family has already held a funeral for the TikTok star. They noted that fans can donate to the Monmouth County SPCA or the Monmouth & Ocean chapter of food charity FulFill in Davis’ honor.
This story is developing.