Influencer Sydney Towle has died at the age of 26. Her family announced her death on Thursday (August 6) in a social media post. According to the post, Towle died on Wednesday, August 5. The post shows a photo of a smiling Sydney Towle on a mountain peak, the sun behind her. Written over the image: "Rest in peace, Sydney Elizabeth Towle. An endless ray of sunshine. A daughter, a sister, and a friend to so many." The caption reads: "We will always love you so much, Sydney. I am so proud of how hard you fought. I love you."

Diagnosed at 23 years old

Towle was 23 when she was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare malignant tumor of the bile ducts. It typically affects people over 50. The American woman lived with the disease for three years, and she took her community along on the journey. She showed her treatments as well as the setbacks. As recently as late May, she walked the runway at Miami Swim Week for Chemo Club x Post Swim.

Sydney Towle: "Treat each other with kindness"

How she herself thought about what would remain of her can be heard in a podcast that is now making the rounds again. In November 2025, Towle sat down with Danielle Robay on "Question Everything", the episode was titled "Too Young for Cancer: Sydney Towle on Fighting for Her Life at 25". When asked about her final message, she didn't have to think long.

"What I would tell people, I've actually thought about that", she answered. "So: If I were to make one more video, what would I say? If it were my last video, I would remind people of what I already told you: Treat each other with kindness." The impact on another person's life, Towle said, could hardly be greater.

"Meet people with compassion and empathy, and treat them the way you want to be treated", she explained. "It sounds so cliché, it's such a worn-out phrase, but we never know what someone is going through. If you can spread a little kindness, a little positivity, it means incredibly much to someone else. It can save their day, their week."

Her brother about the final weeks

In May, Towle told "People" how unprepared she was for the moment when one of her doctors didn't want to continue treatment and instead recommended hospice care. "I was completely in shock, because as my mother and I said in the video afterwards: No one had ever told us we were heading down this path", she told the magazine. "No one had ever mentioned hospice or palliative care. We had simply expected a conversation about my treatment plan that morning."

Her brother Austin Towle spoke one day after her death, also with "People". For him, the move to hospice was primarily about making his sister's remaining time more bearable. "It had already progressed so far that there was no other choice", he said.

He won't forget her stubbornness in the face of the disease: "She just kept fighting. I want people to know: It's not over until it's over. Don't give up hope, no matter what happens. She never did. Not until she physically, mentally, emotionally just couldn't anymore."