Musician Cat Janice, who went viral for her pop anthem released from a hospice bed, passed away on Wednesday morning. She died at her childhood home in Annandale, Virginia, according to her brother William Ipsan. She was 31.
On Jan. 19, Janice posted a TikTok video announcing the release of her song “Dance You Outta My Head,” a pop-funk dance tune, a little over a week after she revealed she was in home hospice care after what she believed would be her final trip to the hospital. The video instantly went viral on TikTok, as thousands of users began reposting the bubbly disco song.
On her birthday the next day, as Janice was surrounded by family, she wrote, “I’m praying my story isn’t over yet but if it is this is a pretty incredible way to say goodbye.”
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The song went on to chart at #5 on Apple Music, and break the Billboard Top 40, a first for the life-long musician, who had been diagnosed with sarcoma in 2022. The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers awarded her the Robert Allen Award for pop song writing. The song has currently been shared more than 2.4 million times on TikTok.
Before she posted “Dance You Outta My Head,” Janice wrote that she had “changed all the rights” on her music so that her son, Loren would profit off of the viral success after her death. “My art is all I have to leave behind and I’m leaving it behind for my son to profit on,” she wrote.
In an Instagram post announcing her passing, her family wrote, “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.”
