Delaney Clements, Colorado Teen Who Met Taylor Swift, Loses Battle With Cancer | Westword
Navigation

Delaney Clements, Colorado Teen Who Met Taylor Swift, Loses Battle With Cancer

Delaney Clements, a thirteen-year-old from Grand Junction who had become an advocate for children with cancer, died last night after a six-year battle with neuroblastoma. Clements had developed a strong presence on social media with more than 86,000 Instagram followers — a platform she used three months ago in order...
Share this:

Delaney Clements, a thirteen-year-old from Grand Junction who had become an advocate for children with cancer, died last night after a six-year battle with neuroblastoma. Clements had developed a strong presence on social media, with more than 86,000 Instagram followers — a platform she used three months ago in order to realize one of her dreams: meeting Taylor Swift

Last year, Clements posted the video below expressing her wish to meet Swift and paying homage to the pop star's hit "Shake It Off." In December 2015, thanks to a broadcast from radio station Mix 104.3, the hashtag campaign #DelaneyMeetTaylor began among Grand Junction and Colorado communities.

Not long after, Swift paid Clements a surprise visit in her home, where they hung out and took a bunch of selfies, featuring both sporting Swift's signature red-lipstick look.
Over the past couple of days, Delaney's family reported on social media that her physical condition had worsened but that her pain was "well managed." On Monday, her family released the news that Delaney had passed away. 

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Westword has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.