Melissa Ede

Melissa Ede (25 September 1960 – 11 May 2019) was an English transgender rights campaigner and social media personality. Ede knew that she was transgender from an early age. Her gender reassignment surgery was completed in 2011 and she subsequently received media attention.

Ede promoted transgender issues by applying for the Mars One project, using it as a platform to profile her life. She gained greater fame following a series of viral videos she uploaded to social media platforms. Ede took part in documentaries about her life made by the BBC and Vice. She also appeared on television shows such as The Jeremy Kyle Show and Tattoo Fixers, Ede worked as a taxi driver in Hull. She was later accepted into a transition programme and had gender reassignment surgery, which was completed in 2011. Her transition was documented in a number of British magazines. Ede continued to work as a taxi driver following her transition and struggled to pay rent. Ede spoke of her intentions to use the project as a platform to promote LGBT rights, hoping to become the first transgender person on Mars. Ede's participation in Vices "Taxi to Mars" documentary saw her profile her life as a transgender woman. Ede continued to make videos, and they eventually attracted attention on Facebook, gaining millions of views and winning her thousands of online followers. The videos earned her the nickname "Mayo Mel" with her online following. The videos also proved to be controversial, and Ede began to receive death threats over the internet.

In 2016, Ede appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show where a woman accused Ede of trying to steal her husband. In July 2017, Ede appeared on the talk show again, this time alongside her daughter Emily. The episode featured DNA test results revealing that she was not Ede's biological child. Ede won four million pounds on a ten-pound scratch card purchased from a petrol station after she refuelled her car. Speaking at a news conference at the time she said the win was "unbelievable". Ede decided to quit her job as a taxi driver following the win. Ede later filmed a documentary with the BBC profiling her lottery win.

In October 2018, Ede was banned from Facebook for sharing a post to shame a man with transphobic views. The social media website later reversed their decision and issued her an apology. In April 2019, Ede faced an online backlash after she endorsed a petition calling for McDonald's to use plastic straws instead of biodegradable paper ones. During 2018, Ede began to have a number of cosmetic procedures on her face. Ede had long suffered from complicated dental health and had her teeth removed and replaced with porcelain tooth implants.

Death On 6 May 2019, Ede was admitted to hospital following severe chest pains. She underwent blood tests, heart checks and lung X-rays, the results of which came back clear, and she was discharged. Ede released a video thanking the NHS and stated that she was thankful to be alive. On 11 May 2019, Ede died in the front garden of her home in Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire, aged 58. An ambulance crew were called to the scene and Ede was pronounced dead on their arrival. A post-mortem examination revealed that Ede had died from a heart-attack as a result of ischemic heart disease.

Personal life Ede had been married and had four children. In December 2017, Ede became engaged to her girlfriend Rachel Nason.