Tanner Martin, one half of the TikTok-famous duo Tanner & Shay, has died at age 30 from colon cancer. He broke the news of his death himself in a video uploaded on June 25.
Tanner Martin was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer just after his and Shay’s second wedding anniversary. Since then, the couple have been documenting their lives on TikTok, where they’ve garnered over 617K followers.
In his last message, Tanner expressed that he was “excited” to see friends and family members in the “afterlife,” reminding viewers that he was grateful for their support over the years.
Another video was also uploaded that same day, showing Tanner wrapped in a blanket and wearing a nasal cannula. He asked that fans donate to a GoFundMe to help support Shay and their newborn daughter, AmyLou (nicknamed Jiaozi), in his absence.
“There’s a really good chance that Jiaozi will not have any real memories of me and that Shay will raise Jiaozi all by herself. I just wanted to ask you guys if you would help me raise Jiaozi.”
Fans donate over $500K to TikTok star Tanner Martin’s family
Viewers responded with an outpouring of encouraging comments, offering comfort to Shay and her daughter in the wake of Tanner’s death.
“I don’t think I’ve cried this much on this app,” one wrote. “I am so very sorry.”
“‘Help me raise her.’ You got it, bud. I donated what I could, but I wish I could give y’all the world. Never cried so hard for strangers. RIP Tanner, we got your girls for now,” another said.
In less than 24 hours, Tanner’s GoFundMe has reached 72% of its $750K goal with $543K raised at the time of writing.
“For less than the price of a hot and spicy McChicken (Tanner’s words…LOL), you can give them a future Tanner only wished he could stay to provide,” the GoFundMe reads, with one last joke from Tanner.
Thus far, no other videos have been uploaded to the Tanner & Shay TikTok account, and viewers continue to send their support with both donations and words of encouragement following the heartbreaking news.
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