Melanie Ham: Crafting YouTuber dies aged 36

YouTuber and crafter Melanie Ham, who was well-known for the stories about her art and personal life she shared on social media, has died at the age of 36.

According to posts shared to her social media accounts, which were published by her husband Robert Ham, Ham passed away from cancer on 12 January.

“It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness I share the news of the passing of my sweet, amazing, beautiful wife Melanie,” the caption of the Instagram post reads. “If you’ve been following our journey I’m sure you were, like us, hopeful she could defeat this insidious disease.”

Robert noted in the caption that he and his wife were only nine days away from their 16-year anniversary before her death. He praised the nurses, doctors, and his family who helped Ham fight “until the end” of her cancer battle.

“Melanie fought like a warrior queen,” he wrote.

“Despite the deep grief my family and I feel today we want to celebrate an amazing woman and a life well-lived,” he added. “She loved passionately, created beautifully, provided abundantly and was my best friend all the way to the end.”

The influencer’s husband then detailed how loved she was by her family and friends, before encouraging her more than 46,000 Instagram followers to “put up a toast of bourbon” in her honour, since it was her favourite drink.

On January 15, a post about her funeral details was shared on Instagram. “A celebration of Life In loving memory of Melanie Ham” was planned for 22 January at Crossroad Community Church in Valencia, California,” the caption of the post read, adding that “colourful attire was encouraged”.

Ham’s YouTube channel, which has more than 810,000 subscribers, features crocheting, quilting, and sewing tutorial videos. Her final video, posted in April of last year, was a beginner’s guide for people learning how to crochet.

Back in November 2020, Ham posted a video about her cancer, where she revealed that she was still living with a tumour in her body.

The YouTuber noted that she had epithelioid angiomyolipoma, a rare type of sarcoma, which is a term for “a group of cancers that begin in the bones and in the soft tissues,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

Prior to her death, the influencer frequently discussed her cancer on her social media accounts, with one post shared in August 2020 describing one of her recent surgeries.

Following the news of her death, many of Ham’s Instagram followers have shared their condolences. “This is certainly one person I’ve never met but will really miss. She was and always will be amazing,” one person wrote.

“Anyone who followed her YouTube channel will miss her so much,” another Instagram user wrote. “But, she will live on forever in the people she inspired. Your entire family will forever be in my thoughts and prayer.”

“Such a loss,” another comment reads. “Melanie was a beautiful soul and an amazing teacher. May her memory be a blessing. I know a piece of her will go into every quilt I make.”