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Teen Behind Viral Katy Perry Cover Dies at 16

Olivia Wise had an inoperable brain tumor

by
Stephanie Butnick
November 26, 2013
Olivia Wise singing "Roar."(YouTube)
Olivia Wise singing "Roar."(YouTube)

Last month we were bowled over by Olivia Wise’s moving cover of Katy Perry’s “Roar,” recorded when the 16-year-old was in the final stages of battling an inoperable brain tumor (the video has received more than one million views on YouTube, and Perry responded with a video message). We’re sad to share the news that Olivia has passed away.

“She died peacefully in her home surrounded by the extraordinary love of her family,” her family said in a statement. Donations can be made in her memory to the Liv Wise Fund, which supports research for teens with brain cancer, and which has already raised more than $100,000.

Here’s Olivia singing “Roar.” May her memory be a blessing.

Stephanie Butnick is chief strategy officer of Tablet Magazine, co-founder of Tablet Studios, and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.