22-year-old YouTuber and ‘light to the world’ dies, Georgia family says

A popular Atlanta-based social media influencer has died at the age of 22, according to her family.

Annabelle Ham, who had nearly 80,000 subscribers on YouTube, died after experiencing an “epileptic event,” her family said in a statement on July 18.

“She struggled with this for a long time and wanted to raise awareness for it, which we will do in honor of her,” the statement says. “Annabelle was beautiful and inspiring and lived life to the fullest.”

Ham’s sister, Alexandria Ham, also mourned her sister in a social media post.

“There will never be words for how heartbroken my family and I are,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “Annabelle was such a light to the world. A spark-plug. If you knew Annabelle, you loved her and loved being around her.”

Tributes poured into Annabelle Ham’s social media pages from loved ones, friends and followers who said she had inspired them.

“Your authenticity that you’ve shared is precious,” a commenter wrote on one of Ham’s YouTube videos from February. “You don’t know it, because you’ve sadly been taken from this earth, but you’ve inspired this ‘older woman’ to be in touch with her inner young woman and start posting my own content.”

Ham started posting YouTube videos in 2015. Over the years, she shared videos and vlogs that showed her trying on new clothes, giving beauty tips and self care advice, documenting trips and girls’ nights and sharing intimate details of her life.

Many of her followers said they developed a connection with her from watching her content and felt as if they knew her.

“In shock right now,” a commenter wrote on her Instagram page. “I’ve watched Annabelle since she was in high school and it felt like watching an older sister. Prayers for you all.”

Ham was a student at Kennesaw State University in Georgia where she was a member of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority.

The sorority said in a statement on Instagram that its members had lost “a big piece of our hearts.”

“She was caring, selfless and carried so much love inside of her heart,” the statement says. “She always had a smile on her face and never failed to put a smile on others.”

On Dec. 6, Ham posted a video about her 22nd birthday.

“I’m 22!!” she wrote in a caption. “So weird how fast time flies.”

In a video posted on her YouTube page on Feb. 28, Ham said she was looking forward to starting the next chapter of her life after college.

“I’m already getting like really excited for the future,” she said. “I’ve applied to internships and different things. I’ve applied to a few internships for the summertime, which is something I’m really pumped for. … I don’t think I’ve been so excited to have a job, ever.”

This story was originally published July 19, 2023 at 2:51 PM with the headline "22-year-old YouTuber and ‘light to the world’ dies, Georgia family says."