'A powerhouse beauty': Rihanna mourns the loss of model and activist Mama Cax, 30

Mama Cax walks the runway for the Chromat fashion show during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Industria Studios on February 8, 2019 in New York City.
Mama Cax walks the runway for the Chromat fashion show during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Industria Studios on February 8, 2019 in New York City.

Celebrities, including Rihanna, are reacting to the death of Mama Cax, a Haitian-American model, activist and cancer survivor, who died Monday at the age of 30. Her death was announced in an Instagram post on her account.

Cax, whose real name was Cacsmy Brutus, passed away after a week in the hospital and died on Dec. 16.

She was diagnosed with bone and lung cancer when she was just 14, according to an article from Glamour. After Cax was treated, she had a hip replacement, but it was rejected by her body and doctors were forced to take further action. A hemipelvectomy amputation left her needing to use a prosthetic leg and crutches. Cax used her platform as a model to send a message to the world that women with disabilities should be equally represented.

"It's not only looking out for myself, but looking out for my community and making sure that whatever doors I open stay open," Cax told Glamour in August.

Rihanna mourned the loss of Cax, who took the stage for Savage x Fenty earlier this year, on social media following the announcement.

"A queen. A force. A powerhouse beauty that brought her strength to the @savagexfenty stage this year inspiring so many across the globe. Rest In Power sis," she wrote in a Tweet.

View this post on Instagram

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A post shared by Mama Cāx 🇭🇹 (@mamacax) on Dec 20, 2019 at 7:58am PST

View this post on Instagram

Y’all 2019 has been one of the best years for me , cannot deny it! but 2019 also tried to take me out 😩 I was gearing up for a wonderful couple of weeks went from celebration an anniversary with bae in Serbia, flew to NY for a quick job then had a quick shoot in London before heading to L.A to celebrate a fruitful yearlong partnership with my #sephorasquad family. While in London I started experiencing severe abdominal pain and was rushed to the emergency room- they dismissed it as an inflammation and sent me back to my hotel with some pain meds. The next morning it got worse, while barely conscious, I asked the hotel to call me an ambulance. They discovered that I had several blood clots in my leg, thigh, abdomen and near an IVC filter near my Lungs (which is a medical device that prevents clots from entering the lungs.) up until this emergency visit I had no idea I had such filter (which I assumed was placed there during my chemo days 14yrs ago) - nonetheless this filter saved my life. Lots of unanswered questions which I’ll have to figure out once I’m back to the States but I’m finally out of the hospital, in less pain, resting and taking blood thinners. Unfortunately flying puts me at risk of a pulmonary embolism therefore I’m stuck across the pond until after Christmas. Hope y’all are gearing up for a wonderful holiday season. (Thanks @sephora for the flowers 😚 and to everyone who took time to message and call me- love you all 🤗) _______________________________________________

A post shared by Mama Cāx 🇭🇹 (@mamacax) on Dec 12, 2019 at 3:50pm PST