Canadian artist Qing Han has passed away after a battle with cancer. Qing Han, who is known to her fans as Qinni, died at the age of 29.
The news of her death was broken on February 10 by her friend and fellow artist Courtney “Seage” Howlett, who announced Qing Han’s death through a series of tweets expressing deep sadness.
Qinni’s death comes after she announced on Instagram in December 2019 that she’d been diagnosed with terminal stage IV fibrosis sarcoma cancer.
She struggled with serious medical issues most of her life, including a heart condition that required multiple surgeries before she was eventually diagnosed with cancer.
I'll be away for some time while I sort through my emotions. I love you, qing… I'll miss you. Rest in paradise.
— Seage has (@Seageart) February 10, 2020
I need to say a few things. Qinni was my best friend. She saved my life when I was contemplating a terrible mistake, and we spoke every single day for years. I told her she'd be okay. She still had hope even a few days ago. Talked about what she'd do next year-
— Seage has (@Seageart) February 10, 2020
And it was just perfect. It felt like the old her. But the next day she started saying she was tired. The last message she sent me was that she was so tired. I assumed it was the chemo… If only I thought harder, I would have said call 911. But she already left after –
— Seage has (@Seageart) February 10, 2020
Saying it and I just assumed she fell asleep. I tried messaging her and I started to worry hoping that it was just like before, that she was too tired. Or at worse, that she had to be rushed to the hospital. She was supposed to have so much more time. She was supposed to-
— Seage has (@Seageart) February 10, 2020
Outlive me. I wanted to get old and still be able to call her up and mess around. She was a light in my life and meant more to me than I can explain. I dont know what to do. I'm sending all my love to her family and thanks to all her friends and fans. Thank you for supporting her
— Seage has (@Seageart) February 10, 2020
Seage was also forced to react to a hoax claim that emerged on Instagram about a video purporting to show the moment that Qinni passed away.
I've been forced almost immediately back to deal with a situation. I've been informed that there is an instagram page claiming to have a video of @QinniArt 's passing. This tape DOES NOT EXIST and I'm so beyond pissed off. Please help report https://t.co/TrpkTkpuoh
— Seage has (@Seageart) February 10, 2020
This is a completely false narrative, there is no video of this event and this page is hurting her family who are currently trying to mourn. How twisted can some people be?
— Seage has (@Seageart) February 10, 2020
Tributes pour in
The news of Qinni’s death was followed by an overwhelming outpouring of love, sympathy, and support on social media.
qing han, the artist who made this meme sketch, the artist who drew that galaxy anime girl that EVERY beginner artist post-2016 tried to copy, passed away due to cancer. please send a prayer to her ?? pic.twitter.com/iqPCIfXG7L
— a⁷ (@jinpathy) February 10, 2020
Qing Han has been an important role in my life that inspired me to pursue art and strive to create works that makes my heart joy. Thank you Qing, may your soul rest in peace ? https://t.co/GdqTeuEdZZ
— Karen Cheok ( KC ) ⚡️ (@daixykaren) February 10, 2020
Qing Han, better known simply as Qinni, did not resist the fight she fought with enormous grace and optimism for almost half of her life. It seems crazy, a few weeks ago I commented on her Patreon that I would love to recreate a work of hers and be able to deliver it to her + pic.twitter.com/TzYtz0ETpZ
— ?jess? (@theutopianalien) February 10, 2020
…
Qing Han (@QinniArt) has lost her battle against cancer. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 late Dec. Doctors said she had a 1-1.5yrs left…She was as vibrant as the pieces she created. She truly had a passion for what she did & adored interacting with others.
This hurts. pic.twitter.com/uYBr1UUERH
— тαℓєѕ σf cσσkíє ? #FF7R ? (@ArcanaLegacy) February 11, 2020
Qinni (Qing Han) was one of the reasons why I even came to Sheridan to study animation in the first place. I remember seeing her senior thesis film on deviantart while I was still very young, it delighted and touched my heart. rest in piece, you will be missed deeply ;_;
— ? alice/cindy ? BNA!! ?? (@alicenpai) February 10, 2020
Qing Han was an influential artist with a huge following on Instagram
Qing Han was a very influential personality with a huge fan base on multiple social media platforms, including Instagram and Twitter. She started growing her fan base on DeviantArt after a friend introduced her to the platform in 2005. Her artwork quickly drew the attention of members of the online art community and this encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming a professional artist.
She was awarded DeviantArt’s Deviousness Award in February 2017 in recognition of her efforts to help and mentor other aspiring artists on DeviantArt.
Qinni also managed an Instagram account where she posted images of her work. She had 2.2 million followers on the platform at the time of her death and more than 186,000 followers on Twitter.
Qing Han also maintained an account on Patreon where she had 2, 743 patrons who paid to view her artwork.
On her Patreon profile page, she explained that the contributions she received went mostly to saving up for her cancer treatment:
“I kinda got stage 4 Fibrosis Sarcoma cancer and it’s not the best xD;. Any support is super appreciated :D.”
She also worked for the animation studio, titmouse, according to Mashable.
Qinni was open about her health issues
Qing Han was always open about her health issues. On her Instagram profile page, she informed visitors that she was a “Professional doodler” and a “4x open heart surgery survivor.”
She underwent heart surgery multiple times due to a “genetic heart condition,” Mashable reports. She announced on Instagram in December last year that she had been diagnosed with terminal stage IV fibrosis sarcoma cancer.
Despite the diagnosis, she continued to remain in good spirits, creating and sharing her art online. She also continued to update her fans and social media followers about the progress of her medical treatment that included chemotherapy.
So when her social media account went silent suddenly, her followers feared something might have happened to her and began making inquiries. Their worst fears were confirmed when her friend Seage took to Twitter on February 10 to announce that Qinni had died.