An elderly social media influencer who inspired millions of people with her cooking videos has died aged 67.
Lynn Yamada Davis died of esophageal cancer Jan. 1 at Riverview Medical Center in New Jersey, said her daughter Hannah Mariko Shofet.
Davis regularly shared fun and healthy cooking videos on her Cooking With Lynja pages, which she began with her youngest child, Tim Davis, during the pandemic in 2020.
The family kept their social media page active after her death, requesting that clips that had already been edited be released.
Cooking With Lynja grew in popularity after a video showed her performing some quirky dance moves while making a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, and she currently has 17.4 million followers.
Senior influencer Lynn Yamada Davis, who inspired millions of people with her cooking videos, has died aged 67
She died of esophageal cancer Jan. 1 at Riverview Medical Center in New Jersey, said her daughter Hannah Mariko Shofet
Cooking With Lynja grew in popularity after a video showed her performing some quirky dance moves while making a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, and she currently has 17.4 million followers
“My mom was like my partner in crime,” Tim, who manages the TikTok account, told The New York Times.
He said his mother asked him to post the funny videos they made together about 10 years ago. But after he uploads the last clip with Lynn, the account becomes inactive.
Lynn brought fun energy to her cooking videos, such as her dancing, which appealed to younger generations.
With her wholesome style and unique personality, she became a huge success on social media. Forbes named her to their 50 Over 50 list in 2022.
Lynn was born in New York City but lived in Fort Lee, New Jersey during her early years with her businessman father Tadao Yamada and homemaker Mabel Fujisake Yamada.
She graduated from MIT in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering before earning a master's degree in business administration and public health in Colombia.
The mother had worked for Bell Labs, now AT&T Labs, and had a long career in telecommunications before discovering TikTok fame.
“She had this whole chapter of being a pioneering engineer and she was very proud of it,” said her daughter Hannah.
“She had this whole chapter as a pioneering engineer and was very proud of it.”
With her wholesome style and unique personality, she became a huge success on social media. Forbes named her to their 50 Over 50 list in 2022
Lynn became known around the world, including Japan and Italy, where she traveled with her son
Lynn pictured with YouTube chef Nick DiGiovanni (left) and her son (right)
Lynn became known around the world, including Japan and Italy, where she traveled with her son.
Their other son, Sean Davis, plays professional soccer for the Nashville Soccer Club and he said his mother was his first coach. He added that when she visited him in Tennessee, he was often stopped by young people.
“It made me realize how famous she was,” he said. “People asked for pictures and I took the photo.”
She was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2019 before developing esophageal cancer in 2021.
Lynn was able to travel the world, eat and cook good food and meet new people in her final years, Sean said.
“I just think her final chapter was exactly what she would have wanted.”
The TikTok influencer is survived by children Tim, Sean, Hannah and Becky Steinberg, as well as her second husband Keith Davis, siblings Jay Yamada and Karen Dolce Yamada, and two grandchildren.