'Top Chef' fan favorite Fatima Ali dies at 29 after cancer battle

Fatima Ali, the "Top Chef" fan favorite who was also crowned a champion on "Chopped," has died after a battle with bone cancer. She was 29.

The young chef was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma in 2017 and was declared cancer-free in February 2018. Tragically, the cancer returned in September 2018 and doctors estimated she had one year to live.

Ali had last updated fans on her condition on Jan. 11, writing on Instagram, “I’m sick and unfortunately I’m getting sicker. Right now all I need are prayers; prayers that are simple. I hope, because a wish is putting on too much responsibility on the other, that you will somehow find forgiveness in your big heart for whenever I must have hurt you. I thank you a million times over for when you have given me joy."

PHOTOS: Fatima Ali before her illness

When she revealed the news that her cancer had returned in late 2018, Ali did it with her signature sense of humor, writing on Bon Appetit, "I was looking forward to being 30, flirty and thriving. Guess I have to step it up on the flirting. I have no time to lose."

In the essay, Ali mused about the new outlook she had on life as she came to accept her quickly-ticking clock.

"In my wallet, I keep a crumpled cocktail napkin with a list of names scrawled on it," she wrote. "They’re people I need to make amends to before I go. I have to learn how to ask for forgiveness without expecting to receive it."

She continued, "Until then, every day is an opportunity for me to experience something new."