TikToker Cat Janice Dead at 31 After Cancer Battle

The online community is remembering an inspirational influencer. 

Leah Smith, a 22-year-old based in Liverpool, England, who documented her battle with stage four bone cancer Ewing's Sarcoma, died on March 11 at around 11:30 local time, a loved one shared on her TikTok account.

"This is a message to anyone that's followed Leah, or gave her any support or any nice comments or just watched in general," her boyfriend Andrew Moore said in a March 11 TikTok. "I'm sad to say that she passed away today at around half eleven this morning. I just want to say thank you to everyone. All of your comments did help—she did actually read them."

And Andrew—whom Leah began dating in 2021—added that he wanted "everyone" to speak about his girlfriend after her passing. 

"How amazing she is and how much she helped everyone," he continued. "We'll never let Leah be forgotten." 

Prior to her passing, Leah had grown her TikTok following to just over 500,000, and received millions of views on her videos. Another statement shared to Leah's account states that her profile will continue to be used to "remember Leah at her good times."

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And fans are joining in to celebrate the life of the influencer. 

"She was such an inspiration to thousands," one TikToker wrote. "She deserved so much more."

Leah began her social media journey at 18 when she was first diagnosed with cancer, sharing regular updates on her life and health—with videos ranging from candid vlogs to dances. After a one-year remission in 2021, Leah's cancer returned in January 2022. 

In February, Leah shared that her disease had progressed after over a year of various treatments. And in her last update on Feb. 29, Leah noted that she had managed to eat dinner for the first time in three weeks. Later, her friends took over control of her account to provide updates until her March 11 passing. 

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Throughout her four-year battle with the disease, Leah maintained a positive presence on social media and often made tribute posts to her boyfriend, mom, friends and followers.  

"I got so much love and support from my 489,000 people over my social media," she wrote in a Feb. 13 TikTok post. "I wouldn't be me without you lot."