Influencer Melissa Koh's toddler son dies

SINGAPORE — Popular local lifestyle influencer Melissa Koh's second child, Asher Matthias Chen, who was born with a heart condition, has died. He was two months shy of his second birthday.

Koh, 33, posted details of the wake and funeral mass on Instagram Stories last Friday (April 7). The funeral mass took place on Monday afternoon at Church of Saint Mary of the Angels.

The baby, who was born on June 17, 2021, had two major surgeries before he was one month old, including open-heart surgery the day after he was born.

Koh and her husband, photographer James Chen, have an older son, Noah Tobias Chen, three. They announced in January that they are expecting another baby.

Her social media posts frequently feature her family and she has documented her children's lives on their own Instagram accounts.

On March 30, she hinted in a post that Asher's condition had worsened, writing: "We're not ready to lose you, baby Asher."

A week later, she posted a photo of herself cradling her baby on the beach with a white heart emoji in the caption, and condolences from other influencers began flooding the comment section.

In her latest post last Friday, she uploaded three photos of her family of four, writing: "My everything."

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.