Between 2012 and 2014, Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell (née Shannon) was watched by millions of startled viewers, as she was a part of the family unit that constituted the Here Comes Honey Boo Boo phenomenon.
The eldest of four daughters born to “Mama June” Shannon, Anna was peripheral to the meteoric rise of her younger sister, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Shannon, during her time on the reality series Toddlers and Tiaras and its spinoff. Her own corner of public interest stemmed from her contentious relationship with the family matriarch, from whom Anna remained estranged for most of her adult life, owing to the former’s on-again off-again relationship with a man whom Anna accused of molesting her as a child. Said relationship would eventually lead to the cancellation of Honey Boo Boo by TLC. Additionally, a lawsuit in 2015 saw Anna seeking alleged unpaid wages for her work on her sister’s reality series.
In January 2023, it was announced via social media that Anna had been diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal cancer. Growths found across most of her vital organs were treated with chemotherapy, and the Shannon family asked their various followers for prayers in the months that followed.
On Dec. 10, 2023, June shared an Instagram post announcing that Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell had died after a 10-month-long battle with cancer at age 29. “She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM,” she stated, adding that her late daughter was surrounded by family at the time of her passing and that more updates would follow as information became available. Anna Cardwell leaves behind two children of her own, as well as Michael Cardwell, her husband since 2014.