Who was Cat Janice? DC musician whose music soared to viral fame while in hospice care dies aged 31

Cat Janice, a DC alt-pop artist, passed away on February 28, 2024, at the age of 31.

Her family confirmed her passing through an Instagram post, expressing gratitude for the love and support they received during Cat Janice’s illness.

“This morning, from her childhood home and surrounded by her loving family, Catherine peacefully entered the light and love of her heavenly creator,” the post began, referring to the musician who gained viral fame on TikTok in January with her song “Dance You Outta My Head.”

“We are eternally thankful for the outpouring of love that Catherine and our family have received over the past few months,” the post continued. “Cat 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.”

In the post, the family announced that the singer’s Instagram page would be memorialized by her brother, who will also oversee all aspects of her music, merchandise and public relations.

Janice gained viral fame while in hospice care with her song “Dance You Outta My Head,” which she released to benefit her 7-year-old son, Loren.

According to her TikTok explanation, the Washington, DC resident’s cancer adventure started in November 2021 when she felt a lump in her neck for the first time. She didn’t give it much mind at first, but in March of the next year, she became aware that the lump remained. In a video at the time, she stated, “It was larger and very hard.”

That made Janice, who turned 31 on January 21, decide to visit a physician. She was given a diagnosis of sarcoma, an uncommon malignant tumor, after the visit. Prior to her cancer being deemed eradicated on July 22, 2022, she had surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. She carried on writing and performing songs, sharing them on social media throughout it all.

On Jan. 10, she entered hospice after no longer being able to breathe in the ICU. She transferred all her songs to her son’s name, so all proceeds would go to Loren.

On Jan. 23, she found out her song was charting on iTunes.

“I was sitting there in the middle of the night looking at my phone — what the heck is going on here?” she recalled. “I started yelling and my parents came down, they were like, what is going on?”

“I just wanted to put out something fun and positive,” she said. “My art is all I have to leave behind.”

Her final song became a phenomenon, reaching high positions on music charts and accumulating millions of views on platforms like TikTok and Spotify.