Mama June’s Daughter Anna Cardwell Has Died

“Mama June” Shannon announced on Sunday that her daughter, Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell, has passed away. Cardwell was diagnosed with adrenal cancer earlier this year and on Saturday, Dec. 9, she passed away at home surrounded by family. Shannon told fans they could expect more updates in the future.

“With the breaking heart, we are announcing that [Anna Cardwell] is no longer with us,” Shannon wrote, tagging Cardwell’s Instagram account where she has been posting periodic updates. “She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM. She gave one hell of a fight for 10 months she passed away with her family around her like she [wanted].” For the fans who have been following along, Shannon added: “We will will be updating y’all with more information as we get it today. We love y’all and continued prayers and thoughts for our family doing this difficult time.”

Shannon announced that Cardwell was sick back in May during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. She said that Cardwell had a “very rare and very aggressive” form of cancer, which turned out to be adrenal carcinoma. She said that Cardwell began to notice symptoms in August of 2022, but that by the time she received a diagnosis the cancer had spread to her liver, spleen, and lungs, making it even more difficult to treat.

Shannon and her daughters gained a following over the last decade on reality TV, starting with Anna “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson’s break-out performance on Toddlers & Tiaras. That earned the family a spinoff called Here Comes Honey Boo Boo where fans met Shannon’s other daughters, including Lauryn Efird, Jessica Shannon, and Cardwell. Cardwell was born in 1994 when Shannon was just 15 years old, and Cardwell’s father was not involved in her upbringing.

As the eldest daughter of the family, Cardwell was often the most openly critical of Shannon at her darkest moments and took on some of the parenting duties for her younger sisters. They also clashed very publicly in 2014 when Shannon began dating her ex-boyfriend Mark McDaniel, who had been convicted of molesting Cardwell over a decade earlier. That publicity snafu got the family’s TV show canceled at the time.

Cardwell is survived by her own daughters, Kaitlyn and Kylee, as well as her sisters and other family members. Fans are sending their best wishes to the family in comments on social media and looking back on Cardwell’s best moments on screen.