In a raw and remarkable farewell, social media star and young father Tanner Martin took control of his final moment by announcing his own death in a pre-recorded video posted just 41 days after becoming a dad—and five years after being diagnosed with terminal colon cancer.
“If you’re watching this, I’m dead,” Martin says plainly in the haunting but heartwarming clip that dropped on Instagram Wednesday morning. With his signature dry humor and disarming honesty, the 30-year-old cancer warrior-turned-influencer turned his final breath into a rallying cry for joy, gratitude, and legacy.
“I had a heck of a life,” he continued, smiling. “Hopefully I’m hanging out with all the people I’ve lost… making fun of you nerds.”
Martin was first diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in November 2020 at just 25 years old—one of a growing number of young Americans facing aggressive colorectal disease, a condition once thought to strike mostly older adults. His diagnosis came just months after marrying wife Shay Wright, and the pair soon transformed their private pain into a very public mission—chronicling his fight for survival, her steadfast support, and their shared hope for the future.
They gained tens of thousands of followers on social media, where they documented chemotherapy sessions, hospital stays, fertility challenges, and—eventually—the pregnancy they fought for through IVF.
Their daughter, Amy Lou, was born May 15, 2025.
“He lived long enough to hold his baby girl,” Wright, 29, wrote in a second post, which included another pre-recorded message—Tanner’s final wish: to raise funds for Shay and their daughter through a GoFundMe campaign.
“Shay’s going to need support,” Tanner said in the follow-up clip. “And I want to make sure she and Amy Lou are taken care of.”
The couple had moved into the basement of Shay’s parents’ home in Utah to be closer to family support in the final year of Tanner’s life. In April, Tanner spoke with a soft, raspy voice—his throat affected by chemo—in an Instagram video update.
“I’m tired, but I’m okay. Chemo’s on pause this week. The baby’s coming in six days,” he said, holding up a pair of tiny pink slippers with a wide grin.
Doctors told Tanner in early 2023 that his cancer was no longer curable. Still, he fought on, determined to live long enough to meet the child he and Shay had prayed for.
“This journey was filled with joy and heartbreak,” Shay said in her tribute. “He faced death, but he lived louder than most people ever dare to.”
Colon cancer is now the second leading cause of cancer deaths among young adults in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. Advocates say stories like Tanner’s highlight the need for earlier screening and more awareness about symptoms—including unexplained weight loss, blood in stool, and persistent fatigue—even in people under 40.
Martin’s legacy, though, goes far beyond statistics.
“May the force be with you,” he signed off, referencing his love of Star Wars. “From your angel force ghost.”
A GoFundMe page launched in his honor has already raised thousands to support Shay and Amy Lou. Supporters continue to flood his Instagram comments with messages of gratitude and grief, hailing him as a warrior, a truth-teller, and a father who made the most of every day he had left.
“He didn’t just die with dignity,” one follower wrote. “He lived with fire.”
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