Photo: Getty Images
Criscilla Anderson, star of Country Ever After and ex-wife of country artist Coffey Anderson, has died after a years-long battle with cancer. She was 45.
Anderson’s friend, a photographer named Lindsey, shared a few joint Instagram posts with health updates in recent months. She shared a new one on Tuesday (December 2) to confirm the dancer and reality star’s passing. Lindsey said “my heart is shattered to share this,” and unveiled a posthumous message from Anderson.
“If you’re reading this, I’ve finally slipped into the arms of Jesus — peacefully and surrounded by love. Please don’t stay in the darkness of this moment. I fought hard and I loved deeply. I am not gone… I’m Home,” she wrote, along with heartfelt messages to her loved ones. “To my children — my whole heart. Ethan, you made me a mom. I’m still beside you, cheering you on. Savannah, my bonus girl — you were a gift God knew I needed. Emmarie, my Jesus-loving dancer — keep dancing through every season. Everleigh, my bright spark — chase your dreams boldly and without fear. My babies… I am watching over you. When a moment feels warm, familiar, or too beautiful to be coincidence — that’s me. I’m still mothering you. I’m still yours. To my circle of women — my sisters.Thank you for holding me when I couldn’t stand, wiping my tears, taking me to appointments, and making me laugh. You were God’s hands in my life for years. To my family…thank you for loving me so unconditional. Please take care of one another — my love is still wrapped around you. And to [Lindsey] —the best photographer on the planet… thank you for capturing my life so beautifully year after year. No more Photoshop, sis — Jesus just gave this girl wings!
“Be gentle with each other. Hold my children close. And remember: heaven isn’t as far away as it feels,” Anderson concluded. “I love you all. Always.”
Anderson continued “to show up with grit, grace, and a strength most will never fully understand,” after seven years of fighting cancer. She was first diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2018, though the cancer reportedly metastasized and impacted her lymph nodes after she was declared cancer-free in 2021.
Coffey, who married Anderson in February 2009, posted a heartfelt tribute to his ex on Instagram on Tuesday. He said that “Criscilla defined strength and fighter like no other person on the planet. Heaven gained a star today. She said before she passed, ‘if you see a butterfly, that will be me. If you miss me, a butterfly will show up. Remember….I’ll be there with you.’
“We miss you already. Our hearts are shattered. Our minds are jumbled. Our lives will never be the same. The house is quieter because you’re missing. The babies are resilient and strong as ever. We did good with them,” he wrote. “So, dance your heart out on the beach in heaven. ...I love you more.”