The husband of a former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader said he is ‘lost’ without her after her sudden death from sepsis, days after she gave birth to her stillborn daughter. Krystal Anderson, 40, was 21 weeks pregnant when doctors couldn’t detect her daughter’s heartbeat. Doctors delivered her child, Charlotte, who was stillborn on March 20.
‘I feel lost,’ her grieving husband Clayton told Fox4 through tears. ‘There’s a lot of people in this house, and it feels empty.’ Tributes have poured in for the former cheerleader and women’s health advocate after her death, as she was remembered by loved ones for her ‘radiant smile that could light up the darkest room.’
It was revealed that on the same day as the stillbirth, Anderson spiked a fever and became septic before going into organ failure. She was put on life support and underwent three surgeries, but ultimately passed from the complications, according to her obituary.
As tributes poured in for Anderson, her friend Shanna Adamic, a wellness advocate, described her as ‘absolute magic in every sense of the word.’ ‘She brought it on the field. She brought it to her friendships, she brought it to our tours we had around the world,’ she told Fox4.
‘She was an absolute force for good. She made every room just light up. It was joyful love,’ Clayton added. Chiefs cheerleaders said on X that the organization was ‘deeply saddened’ by her passing. She cheered for the team for over 100 games from 2006 to 2011, and again from 2013 to 2016.
‘During that time, she attended the Pro Bowl as the Chiefs representative in 2015, served as a captain of her team, cheered during the London game, and visited our troops around the world, including in Iraq, Kuwait, and throughout the United States,’ the team added.
‘She was loved and adored by her teammates, fans, and strangers who were never strangers for long. ‘After her time as a cheerleader, she continued to share her love of dance and Chiefs Cheer by serving in an alumni role on gameday, practices, and at events.’ The Chiefs are planning to honor Anderson in a future game.
‘We will miss her kind spirit, joyful energy, and her sparkle,’ the post read. ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and loved ones. We will cherish every moment we had with her. At a later date, we will share how we will continue to honor her legacy.’
She is survived by her husband, who she was married to for two years, and the couple had previously experienced a stillbirth before she got pregnant with Charlotte. Their baby boy James was born at rest, his ashes saved inside of a teddy bear that Clayton clutched in his interview.
A GoFundMe has been made in her honor, and has raised more than $70,000 as of Tuesday morning. The description of the GoFundMe reads: ‘Krissy was more than a wife, mother, daughter or friend; she was magic personified.