Popular Utah-based content creator Tanner Martin, known for sharing his journey with stage four colon cancer, has passed away at age 30. In a pre-recorded Instagram video posted Wednesday to the joint account he shared with his wife, Shay, Martin addressed his followers one final time. In the emotional video, Martin opened with a direct and poignant message to his followers: “Hey, it’s me, Tanner, if you’re watching this, I am dead.”

He explained that he recorded the message in advance so Shay could focus on grieving after his death rather than making an announcement. The couple’s account has more than 454,000 followers who have closely followed Tanner’s five-year battle with cancer.

Tanner looked back on his life with gratitude and peace. “I had a heck of a life,” he said. “Life was awesome. I really enjoyed it while I was here.” He noted that the idea for a farewell video came after seeing someone else do something similar, and he believed it could offer comfort and clarity to loved ones during a difficult time. Tanner’s passing came just weeks after he and Shay welcomed their first child, a daughter named AmyLou, born on May 15. In his video, Tanner expressed his deep love for his family and asked fans to pray for Shay and their newborn daughter.

A message of faith and hope

In the recording, Tanner spoke about his views on the afterlife and expressed excitement about the possibility of reuniting with loved ones who had passed. “I’m excited to see them not in pain and just happy,” he shared. “Death is scary but it’s also like a new adventure, you know… hopefully it’s good.” He mentioned he was especially looking forward to meeting his wife’s father and his own grandfather. In a second pre-recorded message posted the same day, Tanner revealed that he did not have life insurance. As his final wish, he asked his supporters to consider donating to a GoFundMe fundraiser set up for his wife and daughter.