Photo: @ fruitsnackmaddy/Instagram
Influencer Maddy Baloy, who inspired millions by documenting her battle with terminal cancer, has died at the age of 26, her fiancé, Louis Risher, confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE.com on Thursday (May 2).
"Madison passed away peacefully last night," Risher said, adding that she was "surrounded with love."
"She is so special," he added. “I turned 27 yesterday, actually. I was holding her hand all day and that’s all I needed."
Baloy was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer and given five years to live after initially suffering from various stomach symptoms suspected to be "a worm" or virus and undergoing emergency surgery, which found cancerous tumors pressing on her large intestine. The Tampa native then created a TikTok account documenting her battle, which garnered millions of views, including one of her most popular videos in which she named 19 of her 20 bucket list items, among them meeting celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, which she accomplished in February.
Ramsay, who hosted Baloy at his Miami restaurant and shared a dance with the 26-year-old in a TikTok post captured during their meeting, issued a statement upon news of her death.
"I’m truly at a loss for words by the sad news we received today about the loss of @fruitsnackmaddy," Ramsay wrote. "She was kind, fun and a true inspiration to me and my three girls. Knowing we were able to make one of her dreams come true will always be cherished by me. She’ll always be my first & last dance in the kitchen and never forgotten. Sending all our love to her fiancé and family Gx ❤️❤️❤️."
Baloy's final post was a video from Japan in March in which she barely showed the tumors on her body.