Chrisilla Crosland Anderson, a choreographer who worked with stars from Britney Spears to Rihanna, has died of colon cancer. She was 45 years old.
“My heart is broken to share this with you. I promised Chris Cilla that whenever she could no longer stand on her own two feet, I would walk this journey with her. I hope she knows how fiercely loved she is,” friend and photographer Lindsey wrote on Instagram on Wednesday, December 3, along with multiple photos of Anderson. “It was the greatest honor of my life to be by her side until the end.”
The hip-hop dancer, who appeared on the 2020 Netflix reality series Country Ever After with ex-husband Kofi Anderson, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2018. She was cancer-free in 2021, but it returned in 2022 and affected her lymph nodes.
In an Instagram post on Nov. 15, Anderson revealed that her initial prognosis seven years ago was that she had two years to live.
She has three children with Texas country music singer Kofi Anderson, whom she married in 2009, including son Ethan and daughters Emmalee and Everly. She was also stepmother to Coffey’s daughter, Savannah, from a previous marriage.
Chrisilla and Coffey were in the middle of divorce proceedings at the time of her death. The two appeared as a couple in one season of the Netflix series, which gave a glimpse into their life as a family and her battle with cancer.
Chrisilla Anderson’s last message before she died
Before her death, Anderson wrote a message to her loved ones, community and supporters. Her friend Lindsey shared her words in the caption of a Dec. 3 post.
“My sweet community, if you are reading this, I have finally slipped into the arms of Jesus. I am at peace and surrounded by love. Please do not stay in the darkness of this moment. I fought hard and loved deeply. I am not leaving…I am home,” Anderson wrote.
Anderson also left moving words for her four children, calling them “everything in my heart.”
“Ethan, you made me a mother and I’m still rooting for you. Savannah, my bonus girl, you were the gift God knew I needed,” she wrote. “Emary, my dancer who loves Jesus, keep dancing through all seasons. Everly, my shining light, be bold and fearlessly chase your dreams.”
“My babies…I’m watching over you. When a moment feels warm, nostalgic, or too beautiful to be a coincidence, that’s who I am. I’m still nurturing you. I’m still yours.”
And to a friend, she wrote, “Best photographer on the planet…thank you for capturing my life so beautifully every year. No more Photoshop, sis. Jesus just gave this girl wings!”
