Lynn Yamada Davis, the star of “Cooking With Lynja” on TikTok, has died at age 67 following a battle with esophageal cancer.
“I’m super sad to inform you that Lynja, my mom, has passed away. Her final moments were super peaceful and thankfully she was surrounded by the people she loves most, her friends and family,” her son Tim Davis said in a TikTok post announcing her death on Friday. After telling Davis’ more than 17 million followers the news, Tim went on to share photos of his mother from over the years.
The clip’s caption read: “You’re the best mom I could have ever asked for but an even better friend. I love you mom.”
Davis died on Jan. 1 at Riverview Medical Center in New Jersey from esophageal cancer. She was originally diagnosed with throat cancer in 2019 and later esophageal cancer in 2021, according to media reports.
The third-generation Japanese American garnered her large fame after launching her “Cooking With Lynja” series on TikTok during the pandemic. Producing three to four videos a week, Davis became popular for cheffing up a myriad of dishes — like homemade cranberry sauce — and traveling to taste the varying foods of the world. What set her a part from other TikTokers was the way she implemented comedy into her video edits.
Sean Davis, her older son, also took to social media to say farewell to his mother. He shared that a private funeral service was held for Davis on Tuesday.
“Our mom, Lynn Yamada Davis (aka Lynja, the goat, the best to ever do it, small in stature but massive in might, Marge Simpson, Snow White, the bus driver, the queen that was never not slaying, Fort Lee’s finest, the grilling grandma, the internet’s grandma, mini lynnie, little Lynja etc), passed away January 1st, 2024, peacefully and comfortably with family by her side,” Sean wrote. “A private service was held with family and close friends on Tuesday, January 9th. She will lay at rest with her parents in California.”
He continued: “I have this theory that our mom was so special that she was offered the opportunity to make millions and millions of people happy around the world, but it would cost her a battle with cancer for the rest of her life. Without hesitation, she accepted. And that’s how @cookingwithlynja was born.
“The final chapter my mom wrote had everything she could have ever wanted: the time of her life cooking, meeting great people, eating incredible food, traveling to amazing places, and most importantly to her, bringing joy to people everywhere. All with her youngest son, my brother, the creative genius that helped bring it all together. There’s that saying ‘never meet your heroes.’ But Cooking With Lynja was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to our mom’s greatness.”
Today, her account has more than a million followers on all her platforms, including YouTube and Instagram, which eventually helped her nab a partnership with Immi, an instant ramen company. In 2022, Forbes listed her on its Top 50 Creators list. She also won two Streamy Awards in editing and food creator categories.
Aside from being the creative genius she was online, she was also one on paper. Davis graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in three years, finishing her studies at Columbia University with a joint MBA and Masters of Public Health degree. She ran eight marathons before injuring her knee and volunteered for her local EMT squad for more than 20 years, Sean shared in his tribute post.
Davis is survived by her husband Keith Davis and her children Tim, Sean, Hannah Mariko Shofet and Becky Steinberg. She also leaves behind two grandchildren and her siblings Jay Yamada and Karen Dolce.
