Beloved TikTok Chef Lynn Davis, Known for ‘Cooking with Lynja’ Videos, Passes Away

Lynn Davis, an influencer whose zany cooking tutorials drew the admiration of millions on her TikTok account, died on Jan. 1 at Riverview Medical Center in New Jersey, as reported by The New York Times. She was 67.

Her cause of death was esophageal cancer, according to her daughter Hannah Mariko Shofet. Davis had been battling the disease since before her TikTok career started in 2019. Forbes recognized her as one of the top TikTok chefs in its “30 Under 30” list.

Davis began her TikTok journey during the pandemic when she collaborated with her youngest son, Tim Davis, on a series of cooking tutorial videos. She quickly gained a following for her charismatic and grandmotherly approach to cooking, incorporating dance moves and entertaining editing techniques.

She gained over 17 million followers on TikTok, with over 2 million on Instagram and 9 million on YouTube. In 2022, she won Streamy Awards in the Editing and Food categories.

Davis also collaborated frequently with former “MasterChef” finalist Nick DiGiovanni. Together, they set records for the most fast food restaurants visited in 24 hours, and created the largest pizza and the largest sushi roll.

Despite her illness, Davis continued to film cooking videos with her son. Tim Davis plans to upload the remaining videos they filmed before her passing and then stop posting on the Cooking with Lynja account.

Davis was a third-generation American with a background in civil engineering. She had a successful career in the federal government and at AT&T Labs before turning into the “internet’s grandma,” as her fans lovingly called her.

She is survived by her second husband Keith Davis, her sons Tim and Sean Davis, her daughters Hannah Mariko Shofet and Becky Steinberg, her two siblings Jay Yamada and Karen Dolce Yamada, and two grandchildren.

Tim Davis expressed gratitude for the support the fans had shown his mother over the years and thanked them for the joy they brought into their lives through the videos.