Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell, Mama June's Eldest Daughter, Dead At 29
Reality TV fans were left heartbroken by the tragic news that "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" star Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell died from cancer on December 9, 2023. Mama June broke the news that her oldest daughter passed away.
"With the breaking heart, we are announcing that @annamarie35 is no longer with us. She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 p.m.," she posted on Instagram alongside a pic of the family. Per TMZ, the 29-year-old's death was due to complications from her stage 4 adrenal carcinoma, which had been diagnosed as terminal.
Mama June, whose real name is June Edith Stroud, had signaled that the end was near the day before Cardwell's death. She asked for fans' prayers in a heart-wrenching Instagram video a day before Cardwell's death. "Some things have changed in our life over the last few weeks that are totally out of our control," she said, adding, "God has all the faith, has all the cards, but Anna is still with us."
The rise to fame
Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell became a household name thanks to her little sister, Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson. As a 6-year-old child pageant star with a larger-than-life and outspoken self-professed redneck family in tow, Honey Boo Boo made for reality TV gold. And sure enough, following the runaway success of "Toddlers & Tiaras," she landed her own TLC spin-off, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo."
During the teenies, the Honey Boo Boo family was the toast of the tabloids with their outrageous antics and never-ending controversies. However, the latter ultimately led to the series' demise. After TMZ reported that the show's matriarch Mama June, aka June Shannon, was dating a convicted child molester in 2014, the network quickly pulled the plug. "Supporting the health and welfare of these remarkable children is our only priority. TLC is faithfully committed to the children's ongoing comfort and well-being," they said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.
Following the reality show's cancelation, fans were left wondering, "What's next for the Honey Boo Boo crew?" They didn't have to wait long to find out, though, as the spin-offs, "Mama June: From Not to Hot" and "Mama June: Road to Redemption" soon popped up on WE TV. Cardwell had been a regular face on "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo." The birth of her first daughter, Kaitlyn Elizabeth Clark, was even featured in the Season 1 finale. However, per E! News, when Mama June began battling to secure her redemption, Cardwell was noticeably absent from the screens.
Family reunion
When "Mama June: Road to Redemption" premiered, Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell was nowhere in sight. Following years of stress, Cardwell's relationship with June "Mama June" Shannon finally fractured in 2021, and they became estranged.
For Cardwell, everything had shifted after Mama June took back her ex-boyfriend, sex offender Mark McDaniel. Cardwell long maintained that McDaniel sexually abused her when she was 8, something she says her mom didn't believe. "A week or so after it happened, I talked to Mama, and she was upset, crying and saying, 'I don't believe you, I don't believe you, why would you do this to me?'" Cardwell told People in 2014.
They briefly reunited at Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird's baby shower in 2021. However, Cardwell insisted to The Sun that it didn't mean they were back on track as her mom had never apologized or acknowledged the alleged sexual assault. "It's like she is always brushing everything off and like acting like everything is fine and nothing happened," Cardwell said. Still, the mother and daughter were finally brought back together in 2023 following the tragic news of Cardwell's cancer. "Honestly, the people that have been there for her since she's been diagnosed is me, Justin, Eldridge, and the girls," Mama June told the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, she savored every last moment with her daughter. "[We're] enjoying the time and making the memories that will last us a lifetime," Mama June captioned her video from the day before Cardwell's death.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).