TikTok star Sydney Towle, who shared her cancer journey online, dies aged 26

Sydney Towle, a popular social media influencer who shared her experience living with a rare, aggressive form of cancer, has died at the age of 26.

Towle's family announced her death, from complications related to bile duct cancer that had spread to other parts of her body, on her social media accounts on Thursday.

"Syd went peacefully last night after an almost three-year-long battle with cholangiocarcinoma," her brother Austin said in a video message, alongside their mother, on TikTok.

Towle, who was moved to hospice care earlier this week, had over a million followers on TikTok and over 200,000 on Instagram.

She spent the last three years chronicling her daily life as a young person going through chemotherapy and living with cancer, with all its hopes, joys and struggles. She had been living in New York City at the time of her death.

"We are so proud of how hard Sydney fought and for sharing her journey with so many people," Towle's family said in a statement.

"She wanted to raise awareness for rare cancers and was passionate about promoting self-advocacy. We will continue her legacy and honour her in every way we can."

Following the announcement of her death, thousands of followers posted messages on Towle's social media accounts paying tribute to her and sending well wishes to her family.

"Sweet angel. Fly high," actress Alyssa Milano commented. "Praying for all who loved her. She is really something special."

"You were such a bright light and will be missed," one person wrote on Instagram, while another said: "How lucky we all are to have found you on the internet. Thank you for sharing yourself and your story."

In May, Towle posted a series of videos from the hospital where she was receiving treatment for complications related to her cancer.

She shared that her cancer had spread to her peritoneum, a membrane that lines the abdominal and pelvic cavities and protects internal organs.

On 19 May, she posted a video of herself, sitting beside her mother in the hospital, in which she said her oncologist had told her he would no longer treat her cancer, recommending she begin end-of-life care. Towle said she would not accept this and vowed to continue fighting, choosing instead to switch to another specialist.

Despite her illness, she expressed fervent optimism and joy for life on her social media accounts. She often posted videos of herself dancing, getting ready, and having fun with friends.

She recently fulfilled her dream of modelling, walking in a swimsuit for The Chemo Club x Post Swim show at Miami Swim Week.

"Rich in life because my friends choose to spend a Saturday fundraising for cancer research," Towle wrote in a post in March.

"Go get a pint of Ben and Jerry's, watch your favourite movie, remember that life is good and bad things happen sometimes but that doesn't make it a bad life," Towle wrote in another post last year.

Towle was not shy about showing her stomach, where she had a hepatic artery pump implanted, on social media.

"I have only recently started seeing the resilience and beauty in this body," she wrote in a post last year, alongside photos of herself in a swimsuit. "Scars that remind me of how far I've come. And I'm reminded that dreams only end when you allow them to."