YouTube Influencer Tayta Games Died 9 Days Before Her 22nd Birthday — What Happened?

Gaming influencer La'tayvia Deshay Ransom, known to her thousands of YouTube subscribers as Tayta Games, generated a loyal fanbase by showing up as herself. As a self-described "pretty girl gamer," she kept her fans intrigued with her hilarious commentary on various streaming games.

In addition to bringing light and laughter to her platform, Tayta also spoke up when she received a devastating development in her health that sadly took her life. So, what happened to the content creator? Here's everything to know.

Tayta was known for routinely posting her streams on YouTube and Instagram. However, fans grew concerned when she wasn't as active on her accounts. One of Tayta's last gaming streams aired on her platforms in March 2025. Underneath the video, which was her commentary on a Minecraft video, fans wondered how she was doing. Tayta updated her fans that she was experiencing pain in her body due to chemotherapy, which she started to treat her colon cancer diagnosis.

"Hiiii GAYTAS!!!" Tayta said, addressing her fans. "I’m doing okay !! I haven’t been posting because I’m experiencing the side effects from chemo :( … at first I wasn’t, but my feet is on fire. I can barely feel my hands … it’s called “peripheral neuropathy” .. but I’ll be strong and fight until it’s all over … I’m sad because I miss you guys but it’s okay !! I love you lots and I’ll be back soon."

Tayta was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2024, when she was just 20 years old. The influencer took her fans along for her cancer journey on her YouTube account. Before getting an official diagnosis, she often complained of stomach pain during her videos, which, according to Mayo Clinic, is a symptom of the disease. Tayta shared in her YouTube posts that she eventually went to the doctor to address her abdominal pain, and, five months later, was diagnosed with colon cancer.

"HIIIIIII GAYTAS !!! This will be my last update for a couple more months!!" she told her fans in one of her posts. "I didn’t want to leave you all hanging, + I wanted to make sure I was okay before I gave y’all another update !!! Welp, I got my second opinion + had surgery weeks ago & I started my first treatment last week !!! It was okay, ya girl is just tiredddd 🙇🏽‍♀️ but I'm being a strong #GAYTA 💖 and anyone who knows, chemo has its side effects, so I’m really over here fighting & it’s not easy …. but I have a strong support system that I am grateful for including you all!"

Sadly, just one year after she confirmed the news of her having colon cancer with her fans, Tayta's father, Elton Dirt Ransom, made a post on Facebook confirming the influencer had died. According to the post, her cause of death was colon cancer. Ransom shared that the cancer had spread to Tayta's liver, and he was by his daughter's side when she died at 21, days before her 22nd birthday.

“My Oldest daughter passed this morning,” Elton said. "La'tayvia Deshay Ransom would have made 22 years old in nine days. I've been doing 2 a days at the hospital for the past week, praying for the best. Talking to her made me so optimistic. D--n, I just can't believe I lost my child."

Tayta's brothers also confirmed the news on her YouTube with a video titled, "I'm Sorry Gaytas..." In the video, the brothers shared that they wished she were pranking her audience with the news. They also remembered their sister as the "sweetest" and "funniest" person they knew. Fans also expressed their condolences to Tayta in the video's comments.

"Black women are never taken seriously by the medical system," one user noted. "She felt something was wrong MONTHS before her diagnosis and wasn’t taken seriously."

"We will always miss you, Tayta," another shared.