Only a few weeks after becoming a father, influencer Tanner Martin posted a video on social media announcing his passing.
After receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis in 2020, the adored 30-year-old social media celebrity began sharing his life and that of his wife, Shay Martin.
In the new video, Tanner addressed their 455,000 Instagram followers, saying, “Hey, it’s me, Tanner. If you are watching this, I am dead,” before saying that his last message will be ‘lighthearted’.
Tanner continued by saying that he had a “heck of a life” and disclosed that he made a farewell video almost a year ago to announce his passing.
Source: Pexels
“Life was awesome. I really enjoyed it while I was here,” he shared.
“Hopefully, I believe there’s something after this. I’m excited to meet those people, and hopefully we’re hanging out now and making fun of all you nerds.”
Followers have left tributes in the comment section of the video, with one person writing, “The most special human. Rest in peace sweet Tanner. Sending love and prayers to everyone left behind, especially Shay and your beautiful baby girl.”
Another commenter wrote, “Sending prayers to you and your little girl. Heaven just gained the best angel. Love you.”
And a third Instagram user shared, “I’m so sorry Shay my thoughts and prayers are with you.”
Three years after receiving a colon cancer diagnosis at the age of 25, Tanner was informed that there was no cure for the disease. He had two to five years left to live, according to the doctors.
According to People, Tanner had six major surgeries and more than 50 sessions of chemotherapy and radiation between November 2020 and October 2024. After Tanner was given the devastating prognosis, the pair used social media to build an audience by keeping a kind of journal of their bucket list trips.
They took vacations in Mexico and Italy, went to Disney World, and flew to Ireland to reaffirm their vows. Being a major fan of Star Wars, Tanner was able to meet Mark Hamil, who plays Luke Skywalker. Tanner’s last video even has a Star Wars allusion in the caption.
“May the force be with you from our angel force ghost,” it reads.
“I think it’s important to talk about death, especially for other people in my situation,” Tanner told People in October last year. “This is something you want to prep for. You don’t want your spouse to have to plan your funeral and maybe not even have enough money to do so.”
Working with a death doula, who assisted the couple with end-of-life planning, was a component of the preparation.
Shay gave birth to their daughter AmyLou on May 15, 2025, after announcing her pregnancy in a TikTok post uploaded in November.
Speaking about their decision to have a baby, a caption on a TikTok video announcing the baby news read, “Cancer has taken so much from us. I know you wanted to be a dad so badly, but I got to see you be the best dog dad. We tried IVF and planned to have a baby, but sepsis and your cancer progressing prevented us. Until now.”
Symptoms of colon cancer include:
Change in bowel habits
Blood in the stool
Rectal bleeding
Stomach cramps or pain
Fatigue
Tiredness
Unexplained weight loss
