Tributes have been pouring in for beloved TikTok chef and record breaker Lynn “Lynja” Davis following her tragic death.
Guinness World Records is saddened to learn of the passing of the chef, who died aged 67 on New Year’s Day from oesophageal cancer.
Lynja was a well-known face on social media thanks to her Cooking with Lynja TikTok channel, which has an incredible 19.8 million followers.
And she’s just as familiar to the world of record breaking, having set numerous world records alongside her friend and fellow chef, Nick DiGiovanni.
Videos of their culinary masterpieces, including the largest doughnut cake and the largest chicken nugget always went down a treat.
The duo broke numerous records together – four of which still stand:
• Largest cake pop - 44.24 kg (97 lb 8.52 oz)
• Largest chicken nugget - 20.96 kg (46 lb 3.34 oz)
• Largest sushi roll (width) - 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)
• Largest doughnut cake - 102.50 kg (225 lb 15 oz)
In a heartfelt and emotional video on his Instagram account, Nick said: “I’ve got some sad news. Lynja passed away on New Year’s Day.
“You probably know her as the fun-loving, cooking grandma, but I’ll always remember her as the woman who fought off her cancer diagnosis for as long as she could, humbly and quietly without ever complaining, until it got the best of her.”
Nick went on to say he wanted to share a few of his favourite memories before clips of them together played out.
Lynja’s fun personality and the incredible bond between them shines through as she throws a custard pie in his face, takes a bite of a doughnut he’s holding and dances around the kitchen.
“Love you, Lynja,” Nick ends his video.
On Lynja’s TikTok account, her heartbroken son shared the tragic news of her passing.
Tim, who edited Lynja’s videos, said: “I’m super sad to inform you that Lynja, my mom, has passed away.
“Her final moments were super peaceful. And thankfully she was surrounded by the people she loved most – her friends and family.”
Tim went on to share photos of Lynja throughout her life.
Famous chef Gordon Ramsay commented on the video: “Sorry for your loss”.
While hundreds of fans flocked to leave their messages of condolences and share their memories of “the internet’s grandma”.
Tim ended the video by saying: “She was the best. I’m so glad that you guys all got to experience how wonderful of a person she was and that you guys treated her so well.
“So, thank you for these last couple of years. We had so much fun making videos.”
Lynja, who was born in New York City, USA, on 31 July 1956, passed away on 1 January at Riverview Medical Center in New Jersey.
An MIT graduate, she had worked as a project manager and systems engineer at AT&T Labs for 29 years, but her life changed during the pandemic in 2020 when she became a social media sensation.
She launched a cooking channel with the help of her youngest son and soon grew a huge fanbase, with millions of people around the world subscribing to her content.
Her pages remain active as she has asked for clips that have already been edited to be posted after her death.
She won awards for her social videos and was even named in the Forbes 50 over 50 list in 2022.
Lynja was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2019, which caused changes to her voice.
She later shared in 2021 that she had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, and documented her treatment for her followers, celebrating the end of her treatment with a video called Cookies for Cancer.
Tragically, the cancer returned in 2023.
Lynja has already been laid to rest in a private funeral.
She is survived by her children Tim, Sean, Hannah and Becky, her husband Keith and two grandchildren.
Our thoughts are with Lynja’s loved ones and many, many fans.
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