TikTok creator Sydney Towle, who documented her cancer battle on social media, has died. The 26-year-old died on Wednesday, August 5, because of complications from metastatic bile duct cancer.
Towle’s death was announced in a post on her Instagram Thursday with the caption “We will always love you so much Sydney.” Her brother, Austin, recently shared on TikTok that she had been moved to hospice care on August 4 after living with the aggressive form of cancer for years.
The influencer was first diagnosed at age 23. Her heartfelt post announcing her diagnosis quickly went viral in 2023, and she continued to document her cancer journey from there.
Here’s everything we know about her life and career as a content creator.
Sydney Towle was interested in fashion
Sydney Elizabeth Towle was born on November 15, 1999, in Massachusetts to Elizabeth Morrow and Phillip Towle. She was raised with her brother Austin and lost her dad in 2016.
Towle went on to attend Dartmouth College, where she graduated in 2022 with a degree in government and environmental studies. Soon after college, she moved to Los Angeles for a remote marketing job. By this point, she had already established a following on social media, posting lifestyle and fashion content.
The following year, however, she received an earth-shattering diagnosis. After noticing a bulge in her stomach, Towle was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma—a rare type of bile duct cancer that is most often found in adults over 50.
“I have cancer,” she announced in a TikTok video in August 2023. “I am strong, so I’ll be good.” From there, Towle continued to document her cancer journey, sharing candid and heartfelt updates about her treatment, alongside fashion hauls and “get ready with me” videos.
Some doubted her cancer diagnosis
As her cancer progressed, Towle underwent chemotherapy and surgery to remove her gallbladder and part of her liver, and in 2024, she moved to New York to continue her treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. It was around this time, however, that people online began to question the authenticity of her disease, citing her positive mood and appearance as supposed proof that she was faking her cancer.
The harassment continued to grow, with some comparing her to Amanda Riley, of the docuseries Scamanda, who faked having cancer to scam her followers out of money. This prompted Towle to temporarily shut down her GoFundMe, though she eventually reopened it.
“I’m not a television show that you’re watching, which I think people have a really hard time understanding,” she told The New York Times in May 2025. “I’m not a fake character. I’m a person.”
She modeled at Miami Fashion Week
Despite this, Towle continued documenting her journey, using her platform to raise awareness for the rare disease and advocate for patient self-care. She also became more involved in fashion, speaking on a panel at The Business of Beauty Global Forum in June 2025. Earlier this year, Towle even modeled on the main stage during Miami Fashion Week at The Chemo Club x Post Swim show in May.
Just a week later, however, she revealed that her oncologist had refused to keep treating her and recommended that she transition to end-of-life care. Towle refused and switched to a different specialist instead. She died just two months later.
Catherine Caruso joined the Biography.com staff in August 2024, having previously worked as a freelance journalist for several years. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she studied English literature. When she’s not working on a new story, you can find her reading, hitting the gym, or watching too much TV.
