Kelly Canon, a well-known conservative activist in Arlington, Texas, known for spreading Covid019 vaccine misinformation had died of complications caused by the virus, weeks after attending an anti-vaccine convention.
Canon, the vice president of the Arlington Republican Club, died on Monday. The Arlington Republican Party confirmed Canon's passing on Facebook.
"Another tragedy and loss for our Republican family. Our dear friend Kelly Canon lost her battle with pneumonia today. Kelly will be forever in our hearts as a loyal and beloved friend and Patriot. Gone way too soon We will keep her family in our prayers," the Arlington Republican Club said in a statement.
'No Jabby-Jab For Me'
In November, Canon took to Facebook to celebrate the fact that her employer had granted her a religious exemption from the Covid-19 vaccine.
"No jabby-jabby for me! Praise GOD!" she wrote in a now-deleted post.
After contracting Covid, when one of her followers asked if she wished she was vaccinated, she replied, "Hell no! I knew it was survivable. I also knew that the law of averages would eventually catch up to me, in contracting this virus. Fear does not rule over me."
Canon was a vocal critic of Covid-19 vaccine mandates and pandemic-related restrictions. In September 2020, she urged Texas governor Greg Abbott to lift the mask mandate. "OPEN TEXAS! NOW!!! NO MORE MASKS!!!!! ENOUGH!," she tweeted.
In one of her final Facebook posts, Canon shared several links to speeches she attended at a "COVID symposium" in Burleson in early December devoted to dissuading people from getting the COVID-19 vaccines. The event was organized by God Save Our Children, which bills itself as "a conservative group that is fighting against the use of experimental vaccines on our children."
On Twitter, her most recent post was a YouTube video featuring claims that the coronavirus pandemic was "planned" in advance and part of a global conspiracy.
Canon was prominent in Republican circles for her grassroots organizing and campaign to ban red light cameras in Arlington. She also made headlines in 2017 for going public about sexually explicit photos allegedly sent to her by then-GOP Rep. Joe Barton, a scandal which ultimately ended in Barton stepping down.
