In the final months of her life, Toronto teenager Olivia Wise created a legacy that reached around the world and all the way to an A-list pop star.

Wise died Monday afternoon, two years after she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and six weeks after a video of her singing Katy Perry’s “Roar” was posted on YouTube. “She died peacefully in her home surrounded by the extraordinary love of her family,” her cousin, Jeff Kassel, wrote in an email.

In those six weeks, the 16-year-old’s video prompted a response from Perry, more than a million views, a response video featuring messages from hundreds of Toronto students, and more than $85,000 in donations to help other young people with cancer.

“Olivia Wise, I can hear you singing with the angels now,” Perry tweeted late Monday. “Your spirit & strength has inspired me & so many others ... May you rest in peace.”

Wise always loved to sing, and as her condition began to deteriorate, Kassel arranged for her to get some recording time in a Queen St. W. with producer Jon Levine.

The video was originally intended as a keepsake for her family and friends, but quickly took off online — and spread even further once it got a response from Perry.

Even though her condition was fading, she saw the video message and got “a huge kick out of it,” Kassel said.

The video’s momentum kept going. Students from Toronto’s Jewish community compiled a tribute video with their wishes for her, and Kitchener Conestoga MPP Michael Harris honoured her in the Ontario Legislature last week.

“Even in the face of adversity, Olivia summoned the strength to do what she loved: sing one of her favourite songs,” he said. “When I saw the video, I was taken aback to see this young lady in weakness and illness still working to make the most of her life, and to make a difference in the lives of those around her.”

Given the “overwhelming” response, her family has put the song up for sale on iTunes. Proceeds will go to The Liv Wise Fund, which contributes to brain cancer research and support for children with cancer.

Along with “Roar” on iTunes and CD Baby is a song that Wise wrote when she was 11, called “Simple Girl.”

“It was recorded once through for posterity without any music, but producer Jon Levine later added music to her vocal recording and that is also available on iTunes,” Kassel said in an email. Sales of “Simple Girl” will also benefit the Liv Wise Fund.

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“Roar” and “Simple Girl” on iTunes

“Roar” and “Simple Girl” on CD Baby

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