She died on January 12, according to a post on her social media accounts. The news was announced via Instagram and Facebook posts, also posted January 12, that were written by her husband, Robert Ham. Ham also shared the news on his personal Instagram page.
"It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness I share the news of the passing of my sweet, amazing, beautiful wife Melanie," the posts said. "If you've been following our journey I'm sure you were, like us, hopeful she could defeat this insidious disease."
The posts encouraged Ham's followers to "put up a toast of Bourbon" in honor of her, because that was her favorite drink. A celebration of life will be held on January 29 at the Crossroads Community Church in Valencia, California, a subsequent Instagram post said.
Ham had more than 810,000 subscribers on YouTube, where she uploaded tutorials showing how to knit, sew, and crochet various items. She had also posted videos about her personal medical issues, including one "Cancer Update" video where she talked about having a tumor in her body.
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A post shared by Melanie-Creative Content Maker (@melaniekham)
In the video, she said she had epithelioid angiomyolipoma, a type of sarcoma, which is a rare cancer that shows up in soft tissues like fat, muscles, and in the bones, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Prior to her death, she also shared medical updates on Instagram, where she had 46,000 followers.
Her channel, founded in 2011, has over 71 million views in total, with her most popular video — a baby blanket crocheting tutorial — amassing almost 6 million views.
Her last video, posted in April, was a 9 minute beginner's guide to crocheting.
On Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, thousands of fans mourned her. One commenter on Facebook wrote that Ham "will remain an inspiration in my life."
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Ham's husband did not respond to Insider's request for comment.
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