Tanner From Tanner & Shay Made Sure His Family Would Be Taken Care of Before He Died

The millions of TikTok users who followed Tanner & Shay even before Tanner got sick rooted for the couple. They knew how much the pair wanted kids, and then, in May 2025, they finally welcomed their first child together. But not long after, Tanner died. It led some who only casually followed the content creators to wonder what happened to Tanner.

Tanner and his wife, Shay, began making content together on TikTok well before Tanner got sick. They then began sharing more details about his diagnosis and progress on their personal family blog. So when he died, Shay shared the news of his passing with their followers on multiple social media platforms.

Days after Tanner was put on hospice care, he died, per Instagram. He was 30 years old and had been diagnosed with colon cancer. In January 2025, Shay wrote on her and Tanner's blog about learning of his diagnosis. At the time, she wrote that a doctor was sure he was likely only in stage 1 or stage 2 colon cancer because of his age.

After some tests, however, doctors determined that Tanner was in stage 4 and that the cancer had spread to his liver. From there, Tanner and Shay explored all options for his health and treatment as they also shared that journey with their followers on social media. Prior to that post, they announced Shay's pregnancy, and Tanner expressed his need to at least live long enough to meet his daughter.

In May 2025, Tanner and Shay welcomed their daughter, and Tanner was able to spend precious time with her before he died. Fans and followers cheered Tanner on in the comments and celebrated his accomplishment of making it to his daughter's birth, as he had wanted.

Shay posted a video on Instagram to share all of the important moments Tanner was able to share with their daughter in her first few weeks of life, including being the first person to hold her and getting a "first dance" with his daughter.

After Shay shared the news of Tanner's death, a GoFundMe went live to help Shay and her daughter financially now and in the future. According to the fundraiser, it was set up by Tanner in advance of his death so that his wife and daughter could get the security they would need when he was gone. With a goal of $780,000, the GoFundMe reached more than $504,000 shortly after it went live.

"Your support — whether it's $1, $5, $50, or more — goes directly to helping Tanner's two greatest loves, Shay and AmyLou, move forward with hope and security," the GoFundMe explains. "For less than the price of a hot and spicy McChicken (Tanner's words … LOL), you can give them a future Tanner only wished he could stay to provide."