Sydney Towle, the TikTok creator who openly documented her life with bile duct cancer, has died aged 26 after a nearly three-year battle with the disease.
Towle was diagnosed at 23 and used social media to share regular updates about treatment, setbacks, and moments of hope while living with the aggressive illness. Her story resonated with over 1.1 million TikTok followers, accumulating more than 18 million views on her cancer-related content.
Her family confirmed on August 6 that she had passed away the day before.
“We will always love you so much Sydney,” a caption to the social media post read. “I am so proud of how hard you fought. I love you.”
Her brother, Austin Towle, also shared a tribute alongside a photo of Sydney smiling on a mountain summit.
“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.”
The same image was later posted to Sydney’s own account, where it appeared with a video message from Austin and the siblings’ mother.
Austin said: “Hi everybody, we just wanted to let you know that Syd went peacefully last night after an almost three year long battle with Cholangiocarcinoma.
“She fought really hard and we’re so proud of her and we thank you for your support over the years.”
While the TikToker’s mom added: “We love you an thank you for all your kind messages of support and love. We really appreciate it.
“She will not be forgotten.”
In May 2023, while out for a run, the New Hampshire native noticed a large bump protruding from her abdomen and experienced a burning sensation in her stomach. Thinking it might be a hernia, Towle visited an urgent care clinic. An ultrasound revealed a solid mass, and follow-up tests confirmed cholangiocarcinoma.
Mayo Clinic says bile duct cancer can develop at any age, though it is seen most often in people over 50. Bile duct cancer is particularly rare in individuals in their 20s, making Towle’s diagnosis exceptionally uncommon.
Doctors classify the disease into three types: intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, hilar cholangiocarcinoma, and distal cholangiocarcinoma, based on where the cancer starts.
Symptoms of bile duct cancer can include jaundice, abdominal pain, itching, bloating, weight loss, dark urine, and pale or clay-colored stools. Mayo Clinic notes that bile duct cancer may produce symptoms, but the illness is also known for being difficult to detect early.
Bile duct cancer is often referred to as the ‘silent killer’ because it can grow inside the body without any obvious symptoms. Mayo Clinic explains that the cancer is frequently diagnosed only once it has advanced, meaning ‘successful treatment [is] difficult to achieve’. Approximately 8,000 new cases of bile duct cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year.
Towle’s initial treatment included five months of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which reduced the size of the tumor significantly. She subsequently underwent surgery to remove most of the tumor. However, cancer remained on her liver, and imaging later showed a lesion that doubled in size, leading her to pursue new treatment options in New York City.
In recent months before her death, Towle participated in a clinical trial involving tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, an innovative immunotherapy approach that uses a patient’s own immune cells to target cancer. She frequently updated her followers from the hospital as she underwent this experimental treatment, documenting the medical procedures in plain language to raise awareness about the disease.
On August 4, just days before her death, her brother announced she had entered hospice care surrounded by family and friends.
In May, Sydney appeared at Miami Swim Week, where she modelled a custom swimsuit designed to work around her surgical scars.
Speaking of the ‘proud’ moment in a TikTok video, Sydney explained: “People always ask why I’m so positive?
“Why would I not envision the best-case scenario?
“Miracles happen every day. Nobody knows for sure what’s going to happen.”
Her last TikTok upload came on July 29, when she shared how thrilled she was that her favorite band, Royal Otis, had dedicated a song to her at a recent performance.
Throughout her diagnosis and treatment, Towle spoke to PEOPLE magazine about the difficulty of being young while battling the disease. “One of the hardest parts of all this is being young,” she said in May 2025. “Watching my friends go out to dinners or just live their lives, while I couldn’t even leave the house some days, was really tough. With chemo, you don’t feel like yourself—your body changes, you’re tired all the time and everything feels out of sync. I felt like my life was on pause while everyone else’s kept moving.”
Despite the challenges, Towle maintained that sharing her story gave her purpose. She credited other young cancer patients’ stories with helping her early on and expressed her intention to do the same for others facing similar battles.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year