YouTube beauty influencer Jessica Pettway has died at age 36.
On March 15, Pettway’s sister, Reyni Brown, confirmed her death on Instagram.
“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 next to a photo of herself and her sister. “I lost my beautiful big sister 2 days ago and my heart has never felt pain like this.”
Brown described Pettway as “the most amazing, strong, confident” woman, adding: “Life will never be the same without her crazy laugh, pranks, or jokes. Loosing a sibling feels like a connection between us was destroyed. I love you with all my heart.”
On July 31, 2023, Pettway revealed via Instagram that she had been diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer.
“Last June, I was having intense vaginal bleeding. And when I say intense, I mean I was literally bleeding out,” she shared. “I called around and asked other women if they experienced this before and majority of them said they have. I thought, well maybe this is a ‘normal’ thing that women go through. I was experiencing extreme fatigue, weakness and just not feeling like myself.”
On July 1, 2022, Pettway’s husband, Michael, found her in the bathroom unresponsive. She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors told her the blood loss was because of fibroids. After many more hemorrhaging incidents resulting in hospitalizations and blood transfusions, Pettway was finally correctly diagnosed with cancer in February 2023.
Pettway is survived by her husband and their two daughters, Kailee, 10, and Zoi Lee, 3, Essence reported.
Reacting to her death, social media influencer, Temitope Kpulun said;
”Whewwwww this one hurt 💔
As a Stage 3 Cervical Cancer Survivor who also suffered from fibroids….this breaks my heart!
Jessica Pettway was a hair/beauty icon! So many of us followed her from YouTube to Instagram. We grew up online together!
I really hate that in 2024, proper and compassionate Black Healthcare is still questionable 🥺
May her beautiful soul rest in perfect peace and may God comfort her husband, daughters, family, and friends. 🙏🏽🥺”
