Sad news for the natural hair community and everyone else touched by her work: Meechy Monroe, who became well-known via her YouTube tutorials for natural hairstyles, died at the age of 32 at a nursing home in Westmont, Ill., June 27.
Her mother, Patricia Moore, told the New York Times the cause of death was brain cancer.
Meechy’s natural hair journey began in 2009 after a bad haircut prompted her to do the “big chop” and transition to natural hair. Like many of us, she went searching for information online and found her people in the burgeoning natural hair movement.
In 2010, she posted her first YouTube video and introduced herself to the masses. The rest, as they say, is history.
From twist out tutorials to product reviews, Meechy’s videos grew a following, and with more than a million views on her YouTube channel, it wasn’t long before product endorsements came calling.
According to the Times, Meechy had multiple strokes in 2014, and during a surgery to repair brain damage caused by the strokes, a tumor was discovered and diagnosed as cancer.
The beautiful black queen known for her big mane of hair did not let cancer nor losing her hair during chemotherapy keep her down; she began documenting her cancer journey as well.
In a 2015 interview with People magazine, Meechy said, “I lost all my hair, I had the worst year of my life, but you know what? I’m still the same person, still the same soul. I’ve learned not to take my health for granted and to live in the moment. I’m grateful for every second of living on this earth.”
Our condolences to her family and loved ones.
