Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell’s husband, Eldridge Toney, tried to “be calm” for his wife ahead of her passing earlier this month.
“Everyone was crying and freaking out, because we all knew what was happening,” Toney told People in an interview published on Friday, December 15. “I rubbed my hands through her hair, held her hand and told her it was going to be OK. I was holding her hand when she took her final breath.”
Cardwell — the eldest daughter of Mama June Shannon — died at age 29 on December 9 following a battle with cancer. She married Toney in March after receiving her stage IV adrenal carcinoma diagnosis that same month.
“The day before she passed, we had our talk and said our goodbyes,” Toney shared. “Her dying wish was for her girls to grow up knowing who their mother was. And I promised I would do right by the girls always. I will spend my life doing right by Anna and the girls.”
Toney and Cardwell had been dating since 2019, two years after she separated from ex-husband Michael Cardwell, with whom she shares daughter Kylee, 8. Cardwell, who rose to fame with her family on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, was also a mom of daughter Kaitlyn, 11, whose biological father hasn’t been publicly revealed.
Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, Cardwell’s youngest sister, confirmed the news of Cardwell’s cancer diagnosis in March.
“This is what I mean when I say you never truly know what somebody is going through at home. No matter how famous they are,” Thompson, 18, shared at the time. “I’m very famous but normal s—t happens to me and my family & y’all need to realize that ASAP.”
Shannon, 44, told Us Weekly in May that her daughter’s chemo was “different” this time around.
“She’s sleeping more. It was kind of rough, this round,” she explained, noting that she didn’t know “how to deal with” the diagnosis.
“I can just imagine, like, if I’m feeling that way as her mom, how she’s feeling that way as a person who is having to live with it day in, day out,” Shannon added. Two months later, she confirmed that Cardwell’s cancer was terminal.
With a “breaking heart,” Shannon publicly announced the news of Cardwell’s passing.
“She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM. She gave one hell of a fight for 10 months she passed away with her family around her like she won’t and we will will be updating y’all with more information as we get it today,” Shannon captioned an Instagram post from December 10. “We love y’all and continued prayers and thoughts for our family doing this difficult time.”
Thompson also shared a tribute to her late sister via social media.
“This is one post I wish I didn’t have to make 💔,” she wrote on December 10. “Last night we all surrounded Anna with love & let her know it was OK to go. Unfortunately, around 11 pm Anna took her last breath. Anna was in so much pain last night but now, as a family, we all know she is at peace now. I really don’t know what to say as my heart is completely broken.”
Thompson concluded, “Watching my 29-year-old sister this last year battle this horrible disease hasn’t been easy. Anna was a fighter & still is.”
