“Hey, it’s me, Tanner. If you’re watching this, I am dead.”
For the past several years, Tanner Martin documented his colon cancer diagnosis for hundreds of thousands of followers.
That included rounds of chemo and radiation and half a dozen major surgeries, as well as a visit to his future gravesite. It also included more joyful moments, like a vow renewal ceremony in Ireland with his wife, Shay Wright, and other trips abroad. Just last month, it included the arrival of their first child, AmyLou, after the in vitro fertilization experience they chronicled.
But on Wednesday, Ms. Wright posted one final video on behalf of her husband. Mr. Martin had prerecorded the message to be posted when he died. He was 30. The five-minute video has been viewed more than eight million times on TikTok.
Mr. Martin was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in November 2020. In February 2023, he learned that the cancer was terminal. And in April of that year, the couple began posting on TikTok about his treatments, their grief and preparations for Mr. Martin’s eventual death.
“I had a heck of a life,” he said in the video posted on Wednesday, adding that recording a video ahead of his death was “a good opportunity to get all your thoughts out.” He added that it might give his wife the space to grieve.
It was not immediately clear when Mr. Martin died, or when the goodbye video had been recorded. The couple, who lived in Utah, posted less than a week ago that he had entered hospice care.
In the video, Mr. Martin asks his followers to continue to support his wife and their daughter with donations and gift cards.
“I’m going to guess Jiaozi will probably like milk,” he says with a laugh, using a nickname for AmyLou, before holding his head in his hand.
Words of affirmation and prayers would go a long way, too, he added.
“Life was awesome. I really enjoyed it while I was here,” Mr. Martin said. “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.”
He left with a few words of advice: Be kind to each other and assume good intent from others.
“Death is scary, but it’s also like a new adventure, you know,” he said. “I’m excited to see what the experience is like, and hopefully it’s good.”
Remy Tumin is a reporter for The Times covering breaking news and other topics.
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