Cathy Seipp, a Los Angeles-based writer who I was fortunate enough to get to know over the last few years, passed away yesterday at the tragically young age of 49. Despite not being a smoker, she had lung cancer, which she had been battling bravely for the last few years.

I started corresponding with Cathy online after we discovered that we had some mutual friends, and I first met Cathy a couple years ago in New York at the launch party for Pajamas Media. She was one of those people who instantly put you at ease. With her frequently-worn smile, she had a way of making strangers feel like life-long friends.

I did not realize at the time that this energetic, vivacious woman was already years into her treatment for cancer. It’s a testament to her fighting spirit that after we met, I never would have guessed that she was at the time undergoing painful and debilitating treatment.

I can only imagine what she went through these last few years. And although I’m sure she’s happy now to be free from her physical pain, I am selfishly saddened, knowing that my inbox will never again be graced with an e-mail from “misscathy.”

Goodbye, Cathy.