Influencer Sydney Towle has died at age 26 after entering hospice care amid her battle with a rare form of cancer.
“We will always love you so much, Sydney. I am so proud of how hard you fought. I love you,” read a post shared via Towle’s Instagram account on Thursday, August 6.
The social media upload also included a photo of Towle, with the message, “Rest in Peace. Sydney Elizabeth Towle. November 15th 1999 – August 5th 2026. An endless ray of sunshine. A daughter, sister, and friend to so many.”
Towle’s brother, Austin, also posted a video via TikTok. “Rest in Peace to the best sister ever,” he wrote. “Sydney fought so hard and was always so positive and spread happiness wherever she went. Thank you all.”
Before her death, Towle documented her health issues after being diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma — a rare form of bile duct cancer — at age 23. She underwent various treatments, including chemotherapy, and had a major liver surgery.
Towle was recently preparing to enter the next phase of a clinical trial involving tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy.
“People always ask why I’m so positive, and it’s like, why would I not envision the best-case scenario, the best way of things working out?” she explained via TikTok. “The alternative is to not do that and to just be sad.”
Towle admitted that it wasn’t always easy to read comments about her prognosis.
“I won’t lie, the comments sometimes really get to me when I see them saying like, ‘She has days left,’ or just sad things like that,” she continued. “It’s hard to read stuff like that about yourself. But then I’m like, why would I let that ruin my optimism or my hope? Because ultimately, it’s my life, and if I believe that things will work out and be good, that’s my choice, even if that doesn’t happen to be true.”
Austin, 29, offered an update on his sister’s health one day before her death, confirming she had been “moved to hospice.”
“Thank you for all your love and support,” he wrote via TikTok on Tuesday, August 4. “Thank you all so much. Your love and support does not go unnoticed.”
In a comment on another video, Austin slammed trolls who criticized his sister’s appearance.
“Hi all – please keep comments respectful,” he wrote. “Comments about my sister’s appearance or demeanor are completely inappropriate and unnecessary. Additionally, you are not owed any updates and should not feel it’s OK to be asking for updates. Thanks!”
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