Author and Mom Blogger Heather "Dooce" Armstrong Dead at 47
The blogging world has lost a pioneer.
Heather Armstrong, a writer who kick-started the mommy blogging trend by chronicling her parenthood journey on her website Dooce during the early aughts, died May 9, according to a post shared to her Instagram page. She was 47.
"Heather Brooke Hamilton aka Heather B. Armstrong aka dooce aka love of my life," the May 10 post read. "July 19, 1975 - May 9, 2023. 'It takes an ocean not to break.' Hold your loved ones close and love everyone else."
Armstrong died by suicide at her Salt Lake City home, her boyfriend Pete Ashdown told the Associated Press. He noted that Armstrong had experienced a relapse after being sober for over 18 months.
Armstrong began blogging under the pseudonym Dooce in 2001, rising to mommy blogger fame as she gave an unflinching look into her family life on the domain of the same name. She wrote extensively about mental health, her recovery from alcohol abuse and insights into motherhood as she raised daughters Leta, 19, and Marlo, 13, whom she both shares with ex husband Jon Armstrong.
She told Vox in April 2019 that she looked toward herself as "someone who happened to be able to talk about parenthood in a way many women wanted to be able to but were afraid to."
In her last blog post, dated April 6, Armstrong thanked Leta for her support amid her sobriety journey, writing, "Here at 18 months sober, I salute my 18-year-old frog baby, she who taught me how to love."
"One of Leta's greatest talents is the way in which she views the world," Armstrong continued. "Her photography resembles 8 mm film footage. She sees heritage in the mundane, value in the slightest change of hue. She extracts light from every shape and shadow."
Armstrong's success as a blogger led to her publishing a 2009 memoir titled It Sucked and then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown and a Much Needed Margarita. She was previously named by Forbes as one of the 30 most influential women in media.
She is survived by her two children.
If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.