Suzanne Whang, the host of HGTV’s House Hunters for nine years, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at age 56 after a battle with breast cancer, with her partner, Jeff Vezain, sharing the news on Facebook on Thursday.
Whang shared her last social media post on July 13 on Facebook, revealing how she was “feeling excited” as she prepared to leave for Hawaii on a “shamanic healing journey.”
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“Okay lovewaffles, we leave for Kauai this morning!” she wrote. “Time for my shamanic healing journey, and Jeff’s surfgasmic healing journey! I will be off-grid for the next two weeks, so you won’t be seeing any posts from me, but I will be feeling your love and support there every day! Thank you for making this trip possible for us!!!”
In his post, Vezain shared that he was with Whang as she took her last breath at her home.
“For thirteen years she confronted cancer with courage, humor, determination and optimism,” he wrote. “She was immensely encouraged by the love of her family, friends and those she had yet to meet. Your kind, loving messages always lifted her spirits. I know she would prefer that her life be celebrated, as opposed to her passing mourned, but I also know how vehemently she disagreed with anyone being told, ‘Don’t cry.’ So…cry if you will. I’ve been crying a LOT! And laughing…and everything in between.”
“It’s all part of life, but laughter was a staple of our dynamic,” Vezain continued. “Her audacious sense of humor blessed many, shocked a few, but allowed us to laugh in the face of adversity. She was an amazing daughter, sister, friend, mentor and advocate. As I say good bye to a soul who was more than a true love, but also a best friend and an intellectual and spiritual book-end, know that we may not be able to respond to queries, but will try to keep you updated. Thank you.”
Along with her work on House Hunters, Whang appeared on Las Vegas in a recurring role for four seasons and worked on Criminal Minds, General Hospital and NYPD Blue. She was also a comedian, radio host, published author, minister, writer, producer and political activist. Whang was born in 1962 and had an undergraduate psychology degree from Yale University and a masters from Brown University.
Photo Credit: Getty / Tibrina Hobson
