Lynn Yamada Davis, affectionately known on social media as “Cooking with Lynja,” died on January 1, 2024, at the age of 67 due to esophageal cancer.
Her passing was confirmed by her son, Tim Davis, in a heartfelt tribute video. She died at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, New Jersey, surrounded by loved ones.
She was born on July 31, 1956, in New York City and spent her early years in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Davis was a third-generation Japanese American.
In 1977, she completed her undergraduate studies in civil engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), eventually expanding her academic credentials by earning a master’s degree in both business administration and public health from the Columbia Business School.
Davis had a distinguished career at Bell Labs, now AT&T Labs, where she spent 29 years. She was recognized for her pioneering work as a female engineer, making significant contributions to the field.
Her rise to social media fame began in 2020 when, alongside her son Tim, she started creating cooking videos to help him maintain his cinematography skills during the pandemic.
This venture led to her gaining nearly 19 million followers on TikTok and over 2 million on Instagram. Her YouTube channel also attracted a substantial following, with 10 million subscribers. Davis’ engaging and grandmotherly charm in her videos earned her the “internet’s grandma” title among her fans.
Apart from her social media presence, Davis was known for her collaborations with other content creators, notably former “MasterChef” finalist Nick DiGiovanni. In August 2022, they broke the Guinness World Record for the most fast-food restaurants visited in 24 hours. They also created the World’s Largest Cake Pop and Chicken Nugget.
Despite being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2019 and later with esophageal cancer in 2021, Davis continued to inspire and entertain her audience with her culinary skills and humor. Her son Tim plans to keep her legacy alive by uploading the remaining videos they recorded together.
Davis is survived by her second husband, Keith Davis; her children, Tim and Sean Davis, daughters Hannah Mariko Shofet and Becky Steinberg; her siblings Jay Yamada and Karen Dolce Yamada; and two grandchildren.