While the new iPhone 8 and Fergie and Josh Duhamel’s divorce garnered tremendous buzz this week, music industry mourned the loss of an indie rock icon, as the lead singer of former rock and roll band “Those Darlins”, Jessi Zazu, died on Tuesday, 12 September, after 18-month battle with cervical cancer. The tragic news was shared on the Facebook page of the band on Wednesday. The artist was just 28 years old.

Diagnosis

In February 2015, Zazu took a Pap test after she noticed irregular bleeding, according to Nashville Scene. The test came back normal.

However, the bleeding continued, which prompted Zazu to consult a gynecologist during October 2015. The doctor insisted that the bleeding was normal. When the symptoms got worse, Zazu visited the doctor again. The doctor told her not to be concerned and ruled out pregnancy and cancer.

In late February 2016, Zazu began hemorrhaging. Following the conclusion of her band’s farewell tour in March 2016, she returned to her hometown Nashville, where she made an appointment with Planned Parenthood. The clinicians there ordered her to go to the emergency room. The ER dismissed her symptoms as “abnormal bleeding”, reported Nashville Scene back in June this year.

The next day, a doctor she had previously called contacted her to make an unexpected appointment.

Zuzu was recommended to take a biopsy, which confirmed that she has cervical cancer at the age of 26.

Zazu, who has two siblings, was very open about her illness. Seven months after her diagnosis, she published a video on her YouTube channel, publicly announcing her diagnosis and sharing her experience of cancer treatment. She also shaved her head in the video.

After the tragic news was revealed, friends and fans of the star took to social media to grieve her passing and remember the musician.

“So sad to hear of your passing. The only thing I can muster through disbelief is I love you and thank you for everything you gave to this world.” Wrote a fan on an Instagram post shared by the star on September 3.

Memorial

A public memorial service for the star will be held at Fort Houstan in Nashville, according to a post shared on the official Facebook page of “Those Darlins.”

What is cervical cancer?

According to Mayo Clinic, cervical cancer is caused by a strain of sexually transmitted infection human papillomavirus (HPV). Symptoms include irregular vaginal bleeding, increased vaginal discharge and pelvic pain during sexual intercourse.

More than 80 percent of sexually active women and 90 percent of sexually active men have some form of HPV. Majority of people with HPV do not develop cancer. However, the virus sometimes persists in the body for years, causing some normal cells on the surface of the cervix to turn into cancer.