Influencer Tanner Martin is laid to rest after announcing his own death in heartbreaking video
He passed away at the age of 30 following a battle with stage IV colon cancer which he was first diagnosed with in 2020.
The emotional clip was uploaded on June 25 to Instagram by his wife Shay Wright. 41 days before his death, the pair had welcomed their first child together — a daughter named AmyLou.
The public service — which was also streamed via Zoom for those that could not attend in person — had been announced by his wife on social media.
In a post shared a week earlier, Wright encouraged attendees to 'wear something Star Wars in honor of Tanner — ties, pins, stickers, our custom Rebels Against Cancer shirts with other formal wear.'
She added that, 'Tanner requested for Star Wars stickers to be placed on his casket.'
Shay further offered gratitude to the love and support both she and Tanner had received from over the years.
'We are so grateful for this community & all of you that love Tanner with us. Your support has carried us in many years.'
In the caption, Wright also included a quote from Tanner and penned, '"Be kind and assume good intent." - Tanner. Thank you all for your support during this time.'
Martin is survived by Shay, their daughter AmyLou, his mom Kimberly and father Thomas, as well as brother Spencer, per Us Weekly.
Tanner was remembered by his loved ones, including his parents that each gave moving eulogies during the funeral service.
Kimberly said that her son had been an 'outstanding example of faith' and added, 'Even while being very ill with cancer, if you could, you would attend sacrament meetings...in your PJs and robe.
'You taught me that you can see the blessings and love in our Savior in any situation. Because of that, it brings happiness,' she continued.
Kimberly then recalled a conversation she had with Tanner one day when he was receiving chemotherapy treatment.
'I just asked you, "Are you angry or frustrated because I am?" He looked surprised and said to me, "Ma, because of cancer, I have been so blessed."
'"I've been able to experience our Savior's love for me through others. I know I'm loved by my family, friends and those I interact with during treatments,' his mother added.
Tanner had said he was 'blessed' and because of his cancer, he was able to meet 'the nurses and doctors and other patients [who] are so amazing.'
Towards the end of her eulogy, Kimberly expressed that it was 'a miracle' to see Tanner 'grow your family' with Shay.
'You have left an amazing legacy of faith, kindness, love and what it means to be a true disciple of our Savior for our sweet AmyLou.'
Tanner's father also stated that, 'It is an honor and pleasure to be his dad — and it still is,' before adding that his son was 'always just generally happy.'
Shortly before his death, Thomas recalled watching Star Wars and Lord Of The Rings movies with Tanner and his brother Spencer.
He also credited Shay as being a 'wonderful companion' to Tanner but emotionally added, 'It sometimes doesn't seem fair that I've had 30 Father's Days, and Tanner had one.'
Last month on Father's Day, Wright uploaded a video montage to her Instagram page to celebrate Tanner becoming a dad when their daughter was born.
And 10 days later, Tanner delivered the heartbreaking news of his death in a pre-recorded video message posted by Shay.
The couple had documented his difficult journey on social media after he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer five years earlier.
Tanner was as smiley and disarming as ever as he addressed the camera directly.
'Hey, it's me, Tanner. If you're watching this, I am dead,' he began, before easing some of the tension with a laugh at his own gallows humor.
'I had a heck of a life. I decided to make this video announcing my death because I saw someone did that, like, a year or so ago, and I think it's a good opportunity to get all your thoughts out,' he explained.
Despite his bubbly demeanor, his voice was clearly weak and raspy as he spoke about how his wife Shay would cope with his death just weeks after becoming a new mother.
'But you guys, life was awesome. I really enjoyed it while I was here,' Tanner continued.
'Hopefully, I believe there's something after this. I'm excited to meet those people, and hopefully we're hanging out now and making fun of all you nerds,' he said, before noting family members whose deaths preceded his own.
'There's just a lot of people that for the afterlife, I'm excited to see them, and excited to see them not in pain and just happy,' he added.
Even more shocking than the announcement of his own death was how optimistic Tanner managed to be as the end of his time on Earth neared.
'I don't know. I'm like, death is scary, but it's also like a new adventure, you know,' he admitted. 'I'm excited to see what the experience is like, and hopefully it's good.'
He concluded his video by stating that he loved his fans and thanking them for their 'support and helping to make the last years of my life here on earth like fun and enjoyable and helping me be comfortable.'
In her caption, his wife Shay wrote, 'May the force be with you from our angel force ghost see the next video for his wish.'
The second video Shay shared on Wednesday again featured Tanner in the same room, but he was visibly weaker and his voice was even more frail.
He sat on a sofa wrapped in a thick blanket, and next to him was his snoozing baby daughter AmyLou on a pink pillow.
In the heartbreaking video, Tanner said that his daughter likely would have no memories of him because of how young she would be when he died.
He urged his fans to help his wife and daughter after his death by contributing to a GoFundMe account set up in their name.
By 2023, doctors determined that Tanner's cancer was no longer curable, and they estimated that he might live two to five more years
According to the Washington Post, Tanner began noticing symptoms of his cancer — initially just stomach aches — in 2020.
But the pain soon grew, and he decided to see a doctor about it after he began having difficulty going to the bathroom as well.
A colonoscopy soon discovered that he had stage 4 colorectal cancer, which had already spread to his liver by the time it was discovered.
By 2023, doctors determined that Tanner's cancer was no longer curable, and they estimated that he might live two to five more years.
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