Lynn Yamada Davis was known for her viral cooking videos on her TikTok channel, Cooking with Lynja.
- Died: January 1, 2024 (Who else died on January 1?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospital in Red Bank, New Jersey, of esophageal cancer at the age of 67.
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Lynn Yamada Davis’s legacy
Davis began posting TikTok videos in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. She worked with her son, Tim Davis, to film her cooking tips and recipe ideas. His editing skills and her naturally funny and silly charm merged to create irresistible videos, beloved by the younger generation on TikTok. Millions watched Davis make pickle chips, cheesy ramen, cupcakes, and many other culinary creations.
Davis’ son continued posting Cooking with Lynja videos after her death – they had made and edited several videos that had not yet been posted. Her son is also sharing some early videos they made years ago as she taught him how to cook.
Before her TikTok fame, Davis graduated from MIT with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and received postgraduate degrees from Columbia University. She worked as an engineer in telecommunications at Bell Labs, now AT&T Labs.
Notable quote
“We also started adding in some mistakes. I think it was one of the smoothie recipes where I threw a banana and knocked the glass over. Tim put that in, and that made that video very popular. I want people to know it’s OK to make mistakes also, because you don’t learn unless you try things.” —from a 2021 interview for MIT Alumni
Tributes to Lynn Yamada Davis
Full obituary: The New York Times
