Cat Janice, a singer-songwriter who went viral on TikTok in January, has died at the age of 31. Janice’s family took to social media on February 28 to announce her death, revealing that Cat – real name Catherine Ipsan – had succumbed to cancer while “surrounded by her loving family”.
Her family continued: “We are eternally thankful for the outpouring of love that Catherine and our family have received over the past few months.
Cat Janice saw her music go places she never expected and rests in the peace of knowing that she will continue to provide for her son through her music. This would not have been possible without all of you.”
They also revealed that per Cat’s request, her family will release posthumous tracks on her behalf, with all proceeds slated to go to her seven-year-old son, Loren.
Prior to her death, Cat Janice took to TikTok in January to announce that “cancer has won” and that she would be releasing one final track on her birthday (January 19), titled ‘Dance You Outta My Head’. Additionally, she announced that she had reset all of her music so that proceeds from all tracks go to Loren.
“I want my last song to bring joy and fun! It’s all I’ve ever wanted through my battle with cancer. Please, please share this, I need to leave this with [Loren],” she wrote in the TikTok video.
That TikTok video has since amassed over 56 million views, and ‘Dance You Outta My Head’ has topped the TikTok Billboard Top 50 dated February 17. The song also concurrently reached the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, per Billboard.
Cat Janice was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare cancer that develops in the bones and soft tissues, after noticing a lump in her neck in March 2022, per an explanation she posted in November of that year. By July 2022, she had undergone surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment and was declared cancer-free.
Last year, she revealed on TikTok that the cancer had returned and that announced in January 2024 she had entered hospice care.
