CNN reported the woman who offered her observations on life and shared her recollections of the past on "The Life of Riley" Web site, and through a series of videos posted on YouTube, died Saturday. She had been blogging for about 18 months at the time of her death.

Although she mentioned her failing health in her final message dated June 26, she also said she was still singing "a happy song, as I do every day."

"She had a wonderful memory, and an amazing zest for life," her friend Eric Shackle told CNN. "Just two weeks ago, she recalled the words of a song that was popular before World War II, and sang the chorus with me. ... The thousands of loving messages she received from fellow bloggers in such places as Iceland, India, Iran, North and South America and Australia helped keep her alive in her final year. Her only regret was that she couldn't reply to them."