Share this story

FOX NEWS

Optimism can be a dangerous thing. Being cautiously optimistic

E NEWS

Watch: Influencer Sydney Towle Dead at 26 After Rare

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

The Buffalo Bills and their fans collectively got a

Sydney Towle Shared How She Wanted to Remembered After Death

Watch: Influencer Sydney Towle Dead at 26 After Rare Cancer Battle

Sydney Towle knew what message she wanted to leave for her followers.

Prior to her death on Aug. 5 at the age of 26 amid a yearlong battle with cholangiocarcinoma—a rare bile duct cancer—the influencer shared what she would tell her fans if she knew she was making her final video.

“I would just remind people, what I’ve said to you already, is to treat people with kindness,” Sydney shared with host DanielleRobay on the Question Everything podcast in November. “That is literally the biggest thing that I could tell anyone.”

“Treat people with compassion and empathy, and treat people the way that you want to be treated,” she added. “It sounds so cliché—and it’s such a common saying—but I feel like we never know what someone is going through.”

As Sydney saw it, “If you could spread a little bit of kindness, a little bit of positivity goes such a long way for someone else, and it could make their day—their week. That’s the thing that I would always tell people.”

read

Everything TikToker Sydney Towle Shared About Battle With Rare Cancer Before Her Death

And Sydney herself was grateful to receive those words of kindness in her final days, as her brother Austin Towle and mom Elizabeth Marrow shared in a video following her death.

“We love you and thank you for all of your kind messages of support and love,” Elizabeth said in an Aug. 6 TikTok. “We really appreciate it and she will not be forgotten.”

Instagram

Austin noted that his sister “fought really hard, and we’re so proud of her,” adding, “We thank all of you for your support over the years.”

Sydney’s family announced her death on Aug. 6, just days after sharing she’d been moved to hospice care.

“Rest in Peace Sydney Elizabeth Towle,” they posted to Instagram. “An endless ray of sunshine. A daughter, sister, and friend to so many.”

The caption continued, “We will always love you so much Sydney. I am so proud of how hard you fought. I love you.”

For more about Sydney’s life and battle with cholangiocarcinoma, keep reading.

Sydney Towle/Instagram

Dartmouth BoundSydney Towle set her eyes on Dartmouth as her next destination following high school graduation, marking her “Go Green!” spirit with a bedazzled graduation cap in May 2018.

Sydney Towle/Instagram

College CommunityThe influencer certainly made a home at the Ivy League institution, building a strong community of incredible friends. And as she put it in April 2022, “The people make the place.”

Sydney Towle/Instagram

Oh, the Places She’ll GoThe Dartmouth graduate made the world her oyster, embarking on many globe-trotting adventures. In fact, she told her followers in a December 2022 Instagram post recapping her trip to Amsterdam, “Call me Mrs. Worldwide.”

Sydney Towle/Instagram

Beach BabesShortly after Towle was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct cancer, in May 2023, she and her friends were all smiles during a special trip to the beach in August 2023.

Sydney Towle/Instagram

The TikToker shared a selfie from her first day of chemotherapy in September 2023 and proved she was ready to tackle her health battle.“There’s a long road ahead, but it’s paved with a whole lotta love and support (and monopoly),” she wrote on Instagram. “There’s not much else to say besides that I’m very grateful to be here anddd let’s go kick cancer’s ass.”

Sydney Towle/Instagram

Round TwoOne year later, Towle began her second round of chemo with a bold hair transformation, switching from her signature blonde to brunette locks. She carried that same boldness into her treatment, writing on Instagram in December 2024, “Time to kick some ass again I guess.”

Amy Sussman/Getty Images for The Business of Fashion

Beautiful BusinesswomanThe influencer took her life experience to the masses while speaking as a panelist during the Connection in the Age of Disruption” panel at the Business of Beauty Global Forum in Napa, Calif., in June 2025.

Sydney Towle/Instagram

Mirror Selfies and MindsetTowle shared a vulnerable look at the scars on her stomach from her cancer treatments, including one from a pump that delivered chemo directly to her liver. Although she admitted she was “self-conscious,” she captioned the August 2025 post, “Now I am more like YAAAA I got a pump! And it’s saving my life! And could save a lot of other people’s! So pump = baddie addie addie.”

Sydney Towle/Instagram

Coachella QueenThe 26-year-old attended the Coachella Music Festival with her besties in April 2026 and noted, “It just keeps getting better!”

Sydney Towle/Instagram

Determined FighterTowle remained determined after a doctor informed her that she was “at the end of [her] rope.”“I told him no,” she captioned a selfie from her hospital bed on Instagram May 2026. “My rope is not finished yet. I am tying more on with the love of my family and friends and we will move on. Continuing to advocate for myself and for others who aren’t able to. Continuing to find solutions that are outside of the box and that may not seem like the straight, or even right, path forward. Because you never know unless you try.”

Thomas Concordia/Getty Images for Miami Swim Week: The Shows

Swimming Toward Her LegacyMonths before her death, Towle bared her cancer treatment scars while walking down a runway in a bikini at the Chemo Club x Post Swim show during Miami Swim Week in May 2026.

Austin Towle/TikTok

Hospice CareIn August 2026, the influencer’s brother Austin Towle shared that his sister had been moved into hospice care—a comfort-focused approach when a cure is not an option—amid her ongoing health battle.“Sydney has been moved to hospice and is surrounded by her friends and family,” he wrote on TikTok. “Thank you all for your love and support.”

Instagram

In MemoriamTowle passed away on August 5, her family confirmed on social media, writing, “We will always love you so much Sydney.”

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App

THE BLAZE

In light of Sophie Cunningham’s support for only women

NINTENDO LIFE

Stop your grinnin’ and drop your linen Cold Iron

NASA NEWS

Explore This Section Science Science Activation Educators & Teens