Musician Katie Greenwood Ross dies after battle with breast cancer, ‘She was sedated for comfort and quietly left us…’

Beloved artist, musician, and founder of Thistle Thistle – Katie Greenwood Ross – has died after a battle with breast cancer.

Beloved artist, musician, and founder of Thistle Thistle – Katie Greenwood Ross – has died after a battle with breast cancer. Her death was confirmed in an Instagram post on her profile, believed to have been made by her partner, Spain.

Musician Katie Greenwood Ross dies after battle with breast cancer (thistlethistle/Instagram)

“Katie passed last night. The last two weeks have been filled to the brim with love and laughing and stories and tears while surrounded by her closest friends and family members. We spent a week at home in our bed with our dogs, and eventually moved to the Hope Hospice Center in Providence to better manage her pain and symptoms,” the Instagram post says.

“When the cancer didn’t respond to treatment and doctors recommended going home, it seemed like a weight had been lifted off Katie. She said she felt fulfilled, and loved, and that she had lived a full life. She accepted it, and showed me a grace and gratefulness that I could never imagine anyone having. The last few days at hospice she was sedated for comfort and quietly left us just before 11pm,” it adds.

The post further says that the community Ross built “will continue to be united by her ability to talk and connect with every person she met or interacted with.” A celebration of life for her birthday will be organized in October “in the form of a gallery showing her work and life. There will also forever be a public place to visit and reflect at a local cemetery.”

The post adds, “She expressed that I continue Thistle Thistle, and it will continue in one form or another. I feel that everyone should have an opportunity to carry a piece of her with them in their daily lives. Your support has brought us so much comfort and stability in our lives and I am forever grateful to all of you for the opportunity to see her and her art thrive to a point we only daydreamed it could reach.”

‘Her work was deeply rooted in themes of power, protection, and ancestral connections’

An obituary for Ross says she was known for her “multifaceted talents as a metalsmith, historical costumer, printmaker, and musician.” She notably created “handmade adornments and botanical pieces” through her business, Thistle Thistle.

The obituary says, “Her work was deeply rooted in themes of power, protection, and ancestral connections, reflecting her profound appreciation for the sacred and the beautiful. Operating from her Providence studio, Katie’s creations were more than just art; they were expressions of her soul and invitations for others to find magic in the everyday.”

Ross was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in early 2024, the obituary says. While she focused on her treatment, her business operations had to be paused. “Her fiancé and partner of nine years, Spain, stood by her side, providing unwavering support and care,” it adds.