Sydney Towle’s family is speaking out after her death at age 26 from a rare form of cancer.
“Hi everybody, we just wanted to let you know that Syd went peacefully last night after an almost three-year-long battle with cholangiocarcinoma,” the influencer’s brother Austin said in a TikTok on Thursday, August 6, while filming with their mom, Elizabeth Marrow.
Austin, 29, continued, “She fought really hard and was so proud of her and we thank all of you for your support over the years.”
@sydtowle Rest in Peace to the best sister ever. Sydney fought so hard and was always so positive and spread happiness wherever she went. Thank you all.
Elizabeth then added, “We love you and thank you for all of your kind messages of support and love.” She continued, “We really appreciate it. She will not be forgotten.”
“Rest in peace to the best sister ever,” Austin captioned the post.
Towle died from a battle with a rare bile duct cancer, cholangiocarcinoma. Her family announced the news earlier on Thursday, writing across her social media profiles, “Rest in Peace Sydney Elizabeth Towle. November 15th 1999 – August 5th 2026.”
The message continued, “An endless ray of sunshine. A daughter, sister, and a friend to so many. We will always love you so much, Sydney. I am so proud of how hard you fought. I love you.”
Austin previously shared an update on Towle’s health via TikTok on Wednesday, August 5. “Sydney has been moved to hospice and is surrounded by her friends and family,” he captioned a photo of his family standing next to a hospital bed while holding stuffed animals. “Thank you for all your love and support.”
Austin kept his sister’s followers updated throughout her health battle. Last month, he shared that she was “doing OK” and went for a walk while staying in the hospital.
Towle was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma at age 23. She underwent liver surgery and chemotherapy. Throughout her treatment, the content creator kept a positive mindset.
“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 said in a video. “The alternative is to not do that and to just be sad.”
While she was hopeful, Towle also got candid about struggling with negative comments. “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 said. “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.”
