A prominent beauty and fashion YouTuber, Jessica Pettway, succumbed to stage 3 cervical cancer at 36 years old, as reported by E! News. Pettway’s sister, Reyni Brown, shared the heartbreaking news of the social media influencer’s passing on March 11 through an Instagram post.
“It’s my birthday today, and the only thing I could ever wish for is for God to bring you back on this earth,” Brown wrote on March 15, according to reporters. “I lost my beautiful big sister 2 days ago and my heart has never felt pain like this.”
The sister continued, “Life will never be the same without her crazy laugh, pranks, or jokes. Loosing [sic] a sibling feels like a connection between us was destroyed. I love you with all my heart.”
In July 2023, Pettway opened up about her battle with cervical cancer, revealing she had been misdiagnosed with fibroids in 2022. Fibroids are non-cancerous growths on the uterus, as defined by the CDC. However, in February 2023, she received the correct diagnosis for cervical cancer.
“I want to share why I’ve been gone for so long, in hopes that at least one person is encouraged by my story,” the mother wrote on Instagram.
“Being told I have cancer didn’t devastate me. It was the reaction of those close to me. I knew that God was my healer and that no weapon formed against me, not even cancer, would prosper. I knew that I was more than a conqueror and that I will get through this.”
Pettway initiated her YouTube venture over a decade ago, earning recognition as one of the most influential beauty YouTubers. With makeup, fashion, and lifestyle content, she amassed a substantial following of over 370,000 across multiple social media platforms.
She is survived by her husband, Michael, and two daughters: 10-year-old Kailee and 3-year-old Zoi Lee.
