Symptoms of bile duct cancer after TikTok star Sydney Towle dies of disease aged 26

She gained a huge following sharing her battle with the disease

Towle had documented her battle with stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma, also known as bile duct cancer, with her more than a million followers.

The 26-year-old American's videos inspired masses of people thanks to her spirited and upbeat attitude towards the disease.

She encouraged her followers to rethink how a cancer patient might look and live, as well as raising awareness for early detection.

The news of her death was announced across her social media platforms by her family.

The post read: "Rest in Peace Sydney Elizabeth Towle November 15th, 1999 - August 5th 2026. An endless ray of sunshine. A daughter, sister and a friend to so many."

The post was captioned: "We will always love you so much Sydney. I am so proud of how hard you fought. I love you."

Symptoms of bile duct cancer

There are around 2,200 people diagnosed with bile duct cancer every year in the UK.

It is classified as rare since it doesn't tend to be hereditary.

The cancer comes in two types, Intrahepatic, which is a bile duct cancer that starts in bile ducts inside the liver, or extrahepatic, when it starts in bile ducts outside the liver.

As per Liver Cancer UK, symptoms are not always clear, but that those who do get the disease often may feel sick and lose their appetite.

Other symptoms include jaundice, if the cancer blocks bile ducts, itching, dark urine, pale coloured faeces, flu like symptoms, weight loss and abdominal pain that spreads to the back.

It is worth noting that these symptoms are common and can be caused by a range of other conditions, so it's important that those concerned do so a GP.

Liver Cancer UK provide more details on their website.

Towle was diagnosed with the stage 4 cancer in 2023 while living in Los Angeles and working in a remote-office marketing job.

At the time she was posting surfing and dance trend videos online.

However, after a bulge and burning sensation in her abdomen left her in urgent care, she was subsequently diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma - a rare form of cancer more common in those over the age of 50.

“The doctor thought I had a hernia, but he was like, ‘I’ll send you in for an ultrasound, just in case,’” Towle told Today in 2024. “I got an ultrasound, and it showed a solid mass.”

Towle turned her battle with cancer into an opportunity to raise awareness for young people with the disease, sharing her journey.

Her videos challenged notions of what a cancer patient might look like as she went about her daily life, often having her condition doubted by internet trolls.

"I’m not a television show that you’re watching, which I think people have a really hard time understanding,” she told the New York Times in 2025. “I’m not a fake character. I’m a person.”

 Speaking to the Times Melinda Bachini, of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation said that Towle’s role as an influencer had persuaded her audience to reconsider living with a serious illness.

“Syd had a keen sense of how sharing her life could help others, and she used that to promote understanding of young adults facing cancer, the importance of research funding and the beauty of living life in the moment,” she said.

Tributes poured in for Towle across her social media platforms.